Characterization of silicon nanoparticles prepared from porous silicon

Nanometer-sized silicon particles have been produced by ultrasonic dispersion of thin sections of porous silicon (PS) in organic solvents. The particles have been characterized by HRTEM (high-resolution transmission electron microscopy), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. HRTEM shows both aggregates of and monodispersed crystallite particles of Si. The larger aggregates range in size from 20 to 50 nm and are made up of small crystallites with diameters of 2-10 nm. Monodispersed crystallites ranged in size from 2-10 nm. All the particles have an amorphous layer of SiO2. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum shows two peaks: a red peak at around 680 nm, which is typical for PS and a blue peak between 415 and 446 nm, which is not typical for as-prepared PS. As a function of increased excitation intensity, the blue peak grows at the expense of the red. This is discussed in light of photoluminescence lifetime data. The red luminescence is attributed to quantum confinement. The blue luminescence is attributed to either extremely small Si crystallites or (Si(II))(0) defects embedded in the oxide matrix.