Regularities of the photoluminescence of porous silicon after chemical etching in HF

The effect of chemical treatment of porous silicon samples by HF on its photoluminescence and its evolution with time in sample aging in air is investigated. It is shown that the effect of HF on the luminescence parameters depends on the duration of the treatment and the initial photoluminescence intensity of the sample. It is found that chemical etching in HF accelerates the growth of the total luminescence intensity in aging of the sample in air. The evolution of the photoluminescence spectrum in aging of the sample in air after chemical etching can be explained within the framework of the quantum-size model of the luminescence of porous silicon. Presented at the Fall Meeting of the Material Research Society, December 1–5, 1997, Boston, USA Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 3, pp. 423–427, May–June, 1999.