On the mechanism of luminescence of silicon nanostructures

A new model of porous-silicon (PS) luminescence based on hot-electron generation in silicon nanoparticles is proposed. This mechanism was used earlier for interpretation of light emission in island metal films (IMF). This paper offers a theoretical analysis of possible mechanisms capable of producing light emission in hot-electron collisions with a surface. Experimental data are presented in support of the applicability of this model to PS and silicon nanoparticles (the existence of electron emission in semiconductor structures and the correlation between the electron emission current and the luminescence intensity).