High-yield plasma synthesis of luminescent silicon nanocrystals.
Light emission from silicon based on quantum confinement in nanoscale structures has sparked intense research into this field ever since its discovery about 15 years ago. A barrier to the widespread utilization of luminescent silicon nanocrystals in such diverse application areas as optoelectronics, solid-state lighting for general illumination, or fluorescent agents for biological applications has been the lack of a simple, high-yield synthesis approach. Here we report a scaleable single-step synthesis process for luminescent silicon nanocrystals based on a low-pressure nonthermal plasma.
Mangolini
L
L
Department of Mechanical Engineering, High Temperature and Plasma Laboratory, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Thimsen
E
E
Kortshagen
U
U