The electroluminescence (EL) from Si+implanted SiO2thin film prepared by thermal oxidation was compared with photoluminescence (PL) properties. Both EL and PL spectra indicate that the luminescence originate from the same three luminescence bands around 470, 600, and 730 nm. Annealing at temperatures below and above 1000 °C makes the 470 and the 730 nm bands dominate in PL spectra, respectively. The 600 nm band, which is weaker in PL, is usually the strongest in EL. The relative contributions from different luminescence bands to EL depend on annealing, but are independent of current density. The different excitation mechanisms of the 470, 600, and 730 nm luminescence bands give rise to the discrepancy between EL and PL. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.