71 research outputs found

    Deposition of Erbium Containing Film in Porous Silicon from Ethanol Solution of Erbium Salt

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    Electrochemical treatment of porous silicon (PS) in ethanol solution of Er(NO3)3 was investigated to obtain material suitable for optoelectronic application. The voltammograms of n+-type and p-type PS vs. an Ag/AgCl reference electrode were examined and compared with these of a Pt electrode. The basic cathode reactions were marked out the voltammograms: (i) the formation and the adsorption of atomic hydrogen; (ii) the formation of molecular hydrogen; (iii) the electrolysis of water and ethanol. No zones relating to on electrochemical transitions of Er ions were revealed on the voltammograms. Nevertheless, with the cathode polarization, the formation of an Er-containing deposit was observed at the surface of the cathode. The IR and SIMS analysis were used to study the composition of the deposits. The scheme of the electrochemical and chemical reactions at the cathode is discussed

    Classification and control of the origin of photoluminescence from Si nanocrystals.

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    Silicon dominates the electronics industry, but its poor optical properties mean that III–V compound semiconductors are preferred for photonics applications. Photoluminescence at visible wavelengths was observed from porous Si at room temperature in 1990, but the origin of these photons (do they arise from highly localized defect states or quantum confinement effects?) has been the subject of intense debate ever since. Attention has subsequently shifted from porous Si to Si nanocrystals, but the same fundamental question about the origin of the photoluminescence has remained. Here we show, based on measurements in high magnetic fields, that defects are the dominant source of light from Si nanocrystals. Moreover, we show that it is possible to control the origin of the photoluminescence in a single sample: passivation with hydrogen removes the defects, resulting in photoluminescence from quantum-confined states, but subsequent ultraviolet illumination reintroduces the defects, making them the origin of the light again
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