The effect of annealing environment on the luminescence of silicon nanocrystals in silica

The effect of annealing environment on the photoluminescence from silicon nanocrystals synthesized in fused silica by ion implantation and thermal annealing is examined as a function of annealing temperature and time. The choice of annealing environment (Ar, N2, or 5%H2 in N2) is found to affect the shape and intensity of luminescence emission spectra, an effect that is attributed both to variations in nanocrystal size and defect states at the nanocrystal/oxide interface. This is supported by Raman spectroscopy.