Mechanisms of luminescence tuning and quenching in porous silicon

L. M. Peter, D. J. Riley, R. I. Wielgosz, P. A. Snow, R. V. Penty, I. H. White, E. A. Meulenkamp

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Voltage-dependent tuning of photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) spectra of porous silicon layers grown on n+ and n- substrates has been studied using electrolyte contacts. It has been demonstrated that PL and EL tuning occur under accumulation conditions. A mechanism that explains both PL and EL tuning is proposed on the basis of a kinetic ; "scheme of squares" that considers incremental electron injection into quantum-confined particles, leading to Auger quenching of photoexcited or electrochemically generated electron-hole pairs. The tuning effects are predicted to occur as a consequence of the dependence of electron accumulation on the energy of the conduction band, which is in turn related to particle size. PL and EL spectra have been simulated for an ensemble of particles of different sizes, and it is shown that the model correctly predicts all the experimentally observed characteristics of the voltage tuning.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)123-129
Number of pages7
JournalThin Solid Films
Volume276
Issue number1-2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Apr 1996

Funding

This work was supported by the Science and Engineering Research Council ( Grant GR/J49488) and by the University of Bath. The authors acknowledge L.T. Canham and T.I. Cox for helpful discussions.

Keywords

  • Electrochemistry
  • Luminescence
  • Silicon

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Surfaces and Interfaces
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Metals and Alloys
  • Materials Chemistry

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