Photoluminescence properties of silicon nanocrystals as a function of their size
Top Cited Papers
- 15 December 2000
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review B
- Vol. 62 (23), 15942-15951
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.62.15942
Abstract
We present results on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of silicon nanocrystals as a function of their size. The nanocrystals are synthesized by laser pyrolysis of silane in a gas flow reactor and deposited at low energy on a substrate after a mechanical velocity and size selection. Both the photoluminescence spectroscopy and yield have been studied as well as the effect of aging of the samples in air. The measurements show that the PL of the silicon nanocrystallites follows the quantum confinement model very closely. The apparent PL yields are rather high (up to 18%). From evaluation of the size distribution obtained by atomic force microscopy it is concluded that the intrinsic PL yield of the nanocrystals can reach almost 100%. These results enabled us to develop a simple theoretical model to describe the PL of silicon nanocrystals. This model can also explain the changes of PL with aging of the sample, just by invoking a decrease of the size of the crystalline core as a result of oxidation.Keywords
This publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit:
- Lattice contraction in nanosized silicon particles produced by laser pyrolysis of silaneThe European Physical Journal D, 1999
- Gas-phase characterization of silicon nanoclusters produced by laser pyrolysis of silanePhysical Review B, 1999
- Analysis of photoluminescence from porous silicon: Particle size distributionJournal of Applied Physics, 1998
- Detection of Extended Red Emission in the Diffuse Interstellar MediumThe Astrophysical Journal, 1998
- Photoluminescence and resonant Raman spectra of silicon films produced by size-selected cluster beam depositionPhysical Review B, 1997
- Investigation of fatigue relaxation of luminescence in porous silicon by time-resolved spectroscopyPhysics of the Solid State, 1997
- Limitations Arising from Optical Saturation in Fluorescence and Thermal Lens Spectrometries Using Pulsed Laser Excitation: Application to the Determination of the Fluorescence Quantum Yield of Rhodamine 6GApplied Spectroscopy, 1996
- Characterization of Silicon Nanoparticles Prepared from Porous SiliconChemistry of Materials, 1996
- Visible light emission from silicon: a quantum effect in highly porous materialsIEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 1992
- Visible light emission due to quantum size effects in highly porous crystalline siliconNature, 1991