Structured films of light-emitting silicon nanoparticles produced by cluster beam deposition

Crystalline silicon nanoparticles (quantum dots) with diameters around 4 nm are produced via CO2-laser-induced decomposition of SiH4 in a flow reactor and subsequently transferred into a freely propagating cluster beam. Thin structured films are then obtained by shaping the beam with a mask and depo siting the nanoclusters at low energy on a sapphire substrate. Upon illumin ation with ultraviolet radiation, the nanoparticles exhibit strong photolum inescence in the red. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(9 9)00925-0].