Hole-net structure silicon is fabricated by laser irradiation and annealing, on which a photoluminescence (PL) band in a the region of 650-750 nm is pinned and its intensity increases obviously after oxidation. It is found that the PL intensity changes with both laser irradiation time and annealing time. Calculations show that some localized states appear in the band gap of the smaller nanocrystal when Silo bonds or Si-O-Si bonds are passivated on the surface. It is discovered that the density and the number of Si=O bonds or Si-O-Si bonds related to both the irradiation time and the annealing time obviously affect the generation of the localized gap states of hole-net silicon, by which the production of stimulated emission through controlling oxidation time can be explained.
The photoluminescence (PL) of nanocrystal present in porous silicon shifts from the near infrared to the ultraviolet depending on the size when the surface is passivated with Si-H bonds. After oxidation, the centre wavelength of PL band is pinned in a region of 700-750 nm and its intensity increases obviously. Calculation shows that trap electronic states appear in the band gap of a smaller nanocrystal when Si = O bonds or Si-O-Si bonds are formed. The changes in PL intensity and wavelength can be explained by both quantum confinement and trap states in an oxidation layer of nanocrystal. In the theoretical model, the most important factor in the enhancement and the pinning effects of PL emission is the relative position between the level of the trap states and the level of the photoexcitation in the silicon nanocrystal.