Properties of Si quantum dot/SiOx porous film structures synthesized using hydrogen fluoride technology

Quantum dot/SiOx film structures synthesized using a new hydrogen fluoride technology of silicon nanoparticles in a porous silicon oxide matrix have been studied in detail. A physical mechanism of influence of chemical treatment in HF vapors in air on structural and light emitting properties of nanosized silicon film porous systems has been proposed. We show that passivation of broken bonds on the surface of Si nanoinclusions as a result of treatment with the participation of oxygen, fluorine and hydrogen atoms reduces the non-emitting recombination channel. A model has been suggested accounting for the shift of the photoluminescence spectrum towards the blue region as a result of treatment due to a decrease in the sizes of the Si quantum dots during the oxidation of their surface layer.