Characterizing the non-stationary blinking of silicon nanocrystals

Confocal microscopy experiments on silicon nanocrystal samples have been performed to study silicon nanocrystal (nc) photophysics. To obtain deeper insight into the blinking process of silicon nc samples we define a quantity which measures the time dependence of the mean occupation time of the dark state during the blinking process. Predictions of this quantity for two different blinking models are obtained. The experimental results in comparison With the theoretical data show, that more than one process is involved in the dark state. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.