LRTM effect and electronic crystal imaging on silicon surface.

Some interesting phenomena have been observed in the laser reflecting Talbot magnification (LRTM) effect discovered at first, in which the high-order nonlinear imaging and the plasmonic structures imaging occur. The LRTM effect images were obtained on the 1D and 2D photonic crystals fabricated by using nanosecond pulsed laser etching on silicon surface, where the high-order nonlinear imaging on the 1D and 2D photonic crystals was observed interestingly. The theory result is consistent with the experimental one, which exhibits that the suitable wave-front shape of injection beam selected in optical route can effectively enlarge the magnification rate and elevate the resolution of the Talbot image. Especially the periodic plasmonic structures on silicon surface have been observed in the LRTM effect images, which have a good application in the online detection of pulsed laser etching process. The temporary reflecting Talbot images exhibit that the electrons following with photonic frequency float on plasma surface to form electronic crystal observed on silicon at first, which is similar with the Wigner crystal structure.

Retraction Note: Enhanced Emission of Quantum System in Si-Ge Nanolayer Structure.

RETRACTION NOTE: The Editor has retracted this article [1] due to significant overlap in text and figures with a previous article published in another journal [2]. The authors do not agree with the retraction.

Curved surface effect and manipulation of electronic states in nanosilicon.

It is interesting in low-dimensional nanostructures of silicon that the two quantum effects play different roles in nanosilicon emission, in which the quantum confinement (QC) effect opens band gap and makes emission shift into shorter wavelengths (blue-shift) as the size of the nanocrystals is reduced; however the breaking symmetry originating from impurities on nanosilicon produces the localized electronic states in band gap and makes emission shift into longer wavelengths (red-shift). The results of experiment and calculation demonstrated that the energy levels of nanosilicon can be manipulated through these quantum effects, where the curved surface (CS) effect of impurity atoms bonding on nanosilicon is important in breaking symmetry of nanosilicon system. Here, the CS effect plays an important role on impuritied nanosilicon in smaller scale with larger surface curvature, in which a few characteristic parameters have been found to describe the breaking symmetry of nanosilicon system, such as bonding angle and projecting length of bonds on curved surface. More interesting, the coupling ways between the QC effect and the CS effect determinate the levels position of localized states in band gap and manipulate emission wavelength, where a few new phenomena were explored.

Localized states and quantum effect of photo-generated carriers in photovoltaic system.

We have fabricated the multiple nanolayers impuritied on silicon pillars for Si solar cells to pick up photons in ultraviolet and infrared region of solar spectra, in which the localized states originated from nanosilicon doped with oxygen are built to avoid Auger recombination, and some interesting quantum phenomena in the localized states have been observed. The quantum effect of photo-generated carriers has been observed in I-V curve measurement on the photovoltaic sample prepared in oxygen by using nanosecond pulsed laser. More interesting, the twin states of quantum vibration are measured in the localized states originated from the impuritied nanosilicon, which provides a stable reservoir for electrons in the photovaltaic system. It should be noted that the amplitude change of the quantum vibration occurs under magnetic field with 0.33T on the sample prepared in oxygen, owing to the electron spin in the localized states. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra measured from 300 nm to 1700 nm exhibit the localized states in various regions in the photovoltaic system, in which the electrons can stand in the localized states with longer lifetime to be uneasy into Auger recombination.

Electronic States of Nanocrystal Doped with Oxygen and Visible Emission on Black Silicon Prepared by ns-Laser.

We fabricated the black silicon (BS) structures by using nanosecond pulsed laser (ns-laser) in vacuum or in oxygen environment. It is interesting that the enhanced visible emission occurs in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra measured at room temperature and at lower temperature on the BS surface after annealing, in which lasing near 600 nm is observed on the BS surface with Purcell cavity structure. It is demonstrated in the PL spectra analysis that the electronic states in the nanocrystal doped with oxygen play a main role in the visible emission on the BS surface. The origin of the visible emission near 400, 560, or 700 nm is univocally revealed in the PL spectra analysis. A visible emission is promising for the development of the white light device on the BS.

Electronic states of defect with impurity and infrared emission on black silicon prepared by an ns-laser.

It is found that the optimum annealing temperature is about 1000°C for the infrared emission of defect states at room temperature on black silicon (BS) prepared by using a nanosecond-pulsed laser. In addition, it is observed that the suitable annealing time is 6∼8 min at 1000°C for the emission on the BS. The crystallizing proceeding in annealing on the BS can be used to explain the above annealing effect. It is interesting that the emission band becomes intensive and broader on the BS prepared in oxygen atmosphere than that prepared in vacuum in the analysis of photoluminescence spectra, where the electronic states localized at the defects from D1 to D4 doped with oxygen play an important role in the emission with the broader band which are obviously enhanced in the room temperature.

Lasing with Pumping Levels of Si Nanocrystals on Silicon Wafer.

It is reported that the silicon nanocrystals (NCs) are fabricated by using self-assembly growth method with the annealing and the electron beam irradiation processes in the pulsed laser depositing, on which the visible lasing with higher gain (over 130 cm-1) and the enhanced emission in optical telecommunication window are measured in photoluminescence (PL). It is interesting that the enhanced visible electroluminescence (EL) on silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) is obviously observed by the naked eyes, and the light-emitting diode (LED) of the Si-NCs with external quantum efficiency of 20% is made on silicon chip in our laboratory. A four-level system is built for emission model in nanosilicon, in which the PL and EL measurement and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis demonstrate that the pumping levels with shorter lifetime from the rising energy of the Si quantum dots due to the quantum confinement effect occur, and the electronic localized states with longer lifetime owing to impurities bonding on Si-NCs surface are formed in the crystallized process to produce the inversion of population for lasing, where the optical gain is generated.

Enhanced Emission of Quantum System in Si-Ge Nanolayer Structure.

It is very interesting that the enhanced peaks near 1150 and 1550 nm are observed in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra in the quantum system of Si-Ge nanolayer structure, which have the emission characteristics of a three-level system with quantum dots (QDs) pumping and emission of quasi-direct-gap band, in our experiment. In the preparing process of Si-Ge nanolayer structure by using a pulsed laser deposition method, it is discovered that the nanocrystals of Si and Ge grow in the (100) and (111) directions after annealing or electron beam irradiation. The enhanced PL peaks with multi-longitudinal-mode are measured at room temperature in the super-lattice of Si-Ge nanolayer quantum system on SOI.

Emission of direct-gap band in germanium with Ge-GeSn layers on one-dimensional structure.

In our experiment, it was observed that the emission of direct-gap band in germanium with Ge-GeSn layers on one-dimensional (1D) structure. The results of experiment and calculation demonstrate that the uniaxial tensile strain in the (111) and (110) direction can efficiently transform Ge to a direct bandgap material with the bandgap energy useful for technological application. It is interested that under the tensile strain from Ge-GeSn layers on 1D structure in which the uniaxial strain could be obtained by curved layer (CL) effect, the two bandgaps EΓg and ELg in the (111) direction become nearly equal at 0.83 eV related to the emission of direct-gap band near 1500 nm in the experiments. It is discovered that the red-shift of the peaks from 1500 nm to 1600 nm occurs with change of the uniaxial tensile strain, which proves that the peaks come from the emission of direct-gap band.

Silicon nanocrystal growth under irradiation of electron beam.

In our experiment, it was observed that silicon nanocrystal rapidly grows with irradiation of electron beam on amorphous silicon film prepared by pulsed laser deposition, and shape of silicon nanocrystal is usually sphere in smaller nanoscale with less exposure time under electron beam, in which the quantum dots are prepared in nanoscale near 3 nm. In the electron interaction process, it was investigated that the various crystals structures in different orientations occur in the same time and the condensed structures of silicon nanocrystal are changed with different impurity atoms in silicon film.

Magic electron affection in preparation process of silicon nanocrystal.

It is very interesting that magic electron affection promotes growth of nanocrystals due to nanoscale characteristics of electronic de Broglie wave which produces resonance to transfer energy to atoms. In our experiment, it was observed that silicon nanocrystals rapidly grow with irradiation of electron beam on amorphous silicon film prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and silicon nanocrystals almost occur in sphere shape on smaller nanocrystals with less irradiation time of electron beam. In the process, it was investigated that condensed structures of silicon nanocrystals are changed with different impurity atoms in silicon film, in which localized states emission was observed. Through electron beam irradiation for 15 min on amorphous Si film doped with oxygen impurity atoms by PLD process, enhanced photoluminescence emission peaks are observed in visible light. And electroluminescence emission is manipulated into the optical communication window on the bigger Si-Yb-Er nanocrystals after irradiation of electron beam for 30 min.