Light-emission phenomena from porous silicon: Siloxene compounds and quantum size effect

It has long been argued whether the luminescent mechanism of anodized porous silicon is mainly due to the chemical compounds such as siloxene derivatives, or the quantum size effect. We performed a comprehensive study using atomic force microscope, infrared transmission, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence measurements in terms of various annealing temperatures. Low - temperature photoluminescence spectra have also been observed. This leads us to conclude that not only the siloxene derivatives but also the quantum size effect gives the luminescence in porous silicon. The previous pseudopotential calculations are used for the explanation of our experimental results.