Electroluminescence from surface oxidized silicon nanoparticles dispersed within a polymer matrix

In this work electrically induced light emission from crystalline silicon nanoparticles randomly dispersed within a polymer matrix was obtained. The observed polymer/silicon nanoparticle device electroluminescence (EL) was composed of simultaneous emission from the polymer and the silicon nanoparticles. The device emission was nonscalar and shifted from a polymer to a silicon nanoparticle dominant emission with increased current density. The device J V characteristics were bulk dominated independent of the nanoparticle loading. The nonscalar field dependence and bulk dominated carrier transport properties strongly suggest that the observed silicon nanoparticle emission was produced by an EL energy transfer process.