Visible light emission from Si/SiO2 superlattices in optical microcavities

Bright quantum confined luminescence due to band-to-band recombination can be obtained from Si/SiO₂ superlattices. Placing them in a one-dimensional optical microcavity results in a pronounced modulation of the photoluminescence (PL) intensity with emission wavelength, as a consequence of the standing wave set up between the substrate and top interfaces. For a Si substrate, absorption of light reduces the PL efficiency, but for an Al-coated glass substrate the PL intensity is twice that of a quartz substrate case. The addition of a broad-band high reflector to the superlattice surface results in enhanced narrow-band emission. These results show that a suitably designed planar microcavity can not only considerably increase the external efficiency of luminescence in Si/SiO₂ superlattices but can also be used to decrease the bandwidth and selectively tune the peak wavelength.