Position and Size-Controlled Photosynthesis of Silicon Nanocrystals in SiO2Films

Abstract

The SiOxthin film made of the SiOxnanoparticles (~40, gm) shows a strong reaction to laser irradiation. The photosynthesis of silicon (Si) nanocrystals (NC's) is found to be self-limited to the laser power and exposure time. Furthermore, the laser irradiation of the SiOxfilm not only produces Si NC's, also transforms the SiOxfilm from the powder-like to the continuous. The photosynthesis of Si NC's has several advantages such as low-temperature process and good control in the size and positioning over the conventional synthesis methods and has many potential applications.