<i>Ex situ</i> prepared Si nanocrystals embedded in silica glass: Formation and characterization

Abstract

In this article we present an alternative approach for the fabrication of silicon nanocrystals (Si–nc) prepared ex situ of the silicon dioxide (SiO2) host matrix. The Si–nc are scratched from porous silicon layers and incorporated into a host spin-on-glass SiO2 based matrix. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy revealed Si–nc of 2–5 nm size. These nanocrystallites exhibit visible room temperature photoluminescence (PL) with a maximum at about 700 nm. The presence of the dopant in the host matrix is shown to induce a blueshift of the PL maxima due to modified surface states of the Si–nc. This approach allows the fabrication of self-supporting samples with very high Si–nc concentrations. A bright photoluminescence at room temperature is obtained on such materials. Finally, strong indication of optical gain at room temperature is shown for samples with high Si–nc concentrations in a phosphorus doped sol gel host matrix.