Photoluminescence of surface-nitrided nanocrystalline silicon dots

Light-emitting surface-oxidized nanocrystalline-silicon (nc-Si) dots have been nitrided by nitrogen radicals. The durability of the nc-Si dots under laser illumination was improved by nitridation. It was concluded that Si3N4 is formed at the interface between the nc-Si core and SiO2 because a blue shift of the emission of the nc-Si dots was observed after nitridation at room temperature, suggesting that the interface of the nc-Si dots was improved. This result illustrates that nitridation is an effective treatment to improve the durability of the nc-Si dots.