Model for the photoluminescence behavior of porous silicon

We outline a simple framework to explain the vast amount of data on the photoluminescence (PL) behavior of porous silicon. Our model involves the competition between an activated radiative process and a Berthelot-type nonradiative process. Our framework successfully explains a wide range of observations by various groups on the temperature, pressure and emission energy dependence of PL. The temperature dependence of luminescence intensity and decay time as predicted by this model is observed for a variety of materials such as amorphous silicon and chalcogenide glasses. The model is transparent, analytic, and does not take recourse to computer modeling or simulation.