INTERPRETATION OF THE TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE OF THE STRONG VISIBLE PHOTOLUMINESCENCE OF POROUS SILICON

The temperature dependence of the strong visible photoluminescence (550-850 nm) is studied in differently prepared porous silicon samples. The variation in the photoluminescence intensity with temperature is a result of a decrease in the radiative decay time and an increase in the non-radiative recombination process with increasing temperatures. The strong visible photoluminescence is interpreted by a recombination of singlet and triplet excitons. The singlet-triplet splitting is comparable for all samples but depends on the detection wavelength and on sample preparation. We present similar data for the recombination process in siloxene which supports the model of a common origin of the strong visible photoluminescence in these very differently prepared samples.