Molecular structure of porous Si

Nanocrystalline Si particles of 10 nm size, doped with traces (1 at. %) of Sn, are prepared by mechanical attrition in an inert ambient. After stain-etching, the particles photoluminesce at room temperature. 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy, Raman scattering, photoluminesce, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements performed as a function of stain-etching time reveal systematic changes, and suggest that the molecular structure of porous Si consists of nanocrystalline Si particles with surfaces passivated by H and/or O atoms.