The project was proposed after the discovery of visible photoluminescence from porous silicon (PS) at roomtemperature in order to investigate the potential of PS for industrial applications. It was found that the luminescence can be understood in the frame of a Quantum-size-model. The low conductivity of PS is a consequence of its minute sponge-like structure. The longtime stability of the structure can be increased by partial oxidation. Contacts made by conductive polymers, as well as poly-silicon, were investigated. The low intensity of the electroluminescence, the contact problems and the high carrier lifetimes are the major drawbacks of the material. In the light of these findings device applications of the material seem to be unlikely in the near future. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: DtF QN1(42,41) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie, Bonn (Germany)DEGerman