Light emission from nanometer-sized silicon particles fabricated by the laser ablation method

Luminescent nanometer-sized silicon particles are fabricated by laser ablation of a silicon target in helium gas. The formation of products is found to be governed by the dynamics of the laser-ablated silicon particles in the gas. The products deposited on silicon substrates exhibit light emission with a peak at 1.6 eV in the air, while 2.1 eV after annealing for 20 min at 800°C in oxygen gas. Applying the laser ablation technique, we demonstrate a novel technique for fabricating silicon particles embedded in a silicon dioxide film. The particles also exhibit visible light emission.