Blue-emitting beta-SiC fabricated by annealing C-60 coupled on porous silicon

C-60 molecules were chemically coupled in the pores of porous Si through a coupling agent and then coated with a layer of Si, and followed by N-2 anne aling. X-ray diffraction results indicate that the fabricated samples conta in beta-SiC particles which may exist in the pores, in addition to Si, SiO2 , and graphite. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra show an asymmetrical bro adband, which can be Gaussian divided into two bands at 380 (3.26 eV) and 4 54 (2.73 eV) nm. Spectral analyses and the experimental results from infrar ed spectroscopy and PL excitation measurements suggest that the 380 nm PL b and is related to oxygen-vacancy defects in the SiO2 matrix, whereas the bl ue PL band is closely connected with the beta-SiC particles. Our experiment s provide a way for fabricating stable blue-emitting beta-SiC materials. (C ) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)02435-9].