The peculiarities of electronic structure of Si nanocrystals formed in SiO2 and Al2O3 matrix with and without P doping

The system of the nanoinclusions of Si in the SiO2 and Al2O3 matrixes (SiO2: Si, Al2O3: Si) attracts great attention owing to its ability to the luminesce in the visible and near-IR range of the spectrum. The influence of P-ion alloying on the electronic structure of nanocomposites was investigated. The P-ion doping and post-annealing at T = 1000 degrees C (2 hours) result in the enhancement of the photoluminescence (PL) peak connected with the Si nanocrystals. The electronic structure was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high-resolution electron energy losses spectroscopy (HREELS) methods. Ion surface modification and annealing form the special nanostructure with Si nanocrystals in SiO2 and Al2O3 matrixes having high density of interfaces with special atomic structure and various degree of oxidation of Si atoms on the boundaries. HREELS investigations show that P-ion doping increases the probability of interband transitions in SiO2: Si and Al2O3: Si composites. Copyright (C) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.