Voltage induced photoluminescence quenching in porous silicon revisited

We have reexamined the features of the voltage induced quenching of the pho toluminescence in solid state structures in which the active material is po rous silicon. By comparing the increase of the quenching due to the increas e of temperature or bias with the corresponding increase in the electrical transport and phototransport, we conclude that this effect is not a field-e nhanced carrier-separation effect, as suggested previously. Rather, this is a thermal effect, which is very pronounced, due to the inefficient cooling in the open, coral-like structure of luminescent porous silicon. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.