Coherent detection of THz waves based on THz-induced time-resolved luminescence quenching in bulk gallium arsenide

A kind of photoluminescence quenching, in which the time-resolved photoluminescence is modulated by a THz pulse, has been theoretically investigated by performing the ensemble Monte Carlo method in bulk gallium arsenide (GaAs) at room temperature. The quenching ratio could reach up to 50% under a strong THz field (100 kV/cm). The range in which luminescence quenching is linearly proportional to the THz field could be over 60 kV/cm. On the basis of these results, a principle for THz modulation and coherent detection is proposed.     

Photoinduced processes in nanocrystals of cadmium selenide in an external electric field

The dependence of photoinduced processes in cadmium selenide nanocrystals in an external electric field on the energy of the exciting photons is established. A relationship between the photoinduced buildup of photoluminescence and its quenching in an external electric field in quantum sized cadmium selenide nanocrystals is demonstrated. The mechanisms for the quenching of the photoluminescence and for the influence of the exciting photon energy on the photoinduced processes are discussed.     

Quenching of photoluminescence in cadmium selenide nanocrystals in external electric fields for different excitation photon energies

The effect of external electric fields on the photoluminescence of quantum-sized nanocrystals of cadmium selenide excited by photons of various energies is studied. Photoluminescence quenching by external electric fields is found to be different for nanoparticles with different shapes (quantum dots and nanorods) and does not depend on the exciting photon energy. The relationship between the strength of the external electric field and the degree of quenching is determined empirically for both types of nanoparticles. A possible mechanism for the effect of an external electric field on the excitation and quenching of photoluminescence in quantumsized nanoparticles is discussed.     

Silicon nanocrystals as photosensitizers of active oxygen for biomedical applications

Silicon nanocrystals dispersed in water have been used to photosensitize the generation of active oxygen. The photosensitizing efficiency has been estimated through the quenching of the exciton photoluminescence of silicon nanocrystals. Experiments have revealed a strong (up to 80%) decrease in the number of cancer mouse fibroblast cells when they come into contact with photoexcited silicon nanocrystals. The obtained results show that the use of silicon nanocrystals for biomedical applications, in particular, for photodynamic therapy of cancer, is feasible.     

CdS0.1Se0.9纳米晶体共振电光效应

采用电吸收谱(EA)的方法研究了在电场作用下,CdS_0.1Se_0.9纳米晶体光学性质的变化.分析了电场效应的物理机制,电场效应是使纳米晶体的吸收谱展宽和移动.第一激发态对外加电场敏感,而其它激发态不敏感.从电吸收谱上得到电光响应信号幅度与外加电场场强的平方成正比,表明纳米晶体的电光效应是 Kerr效应,具有三阶非线性极化率 χ⁽³⁾.     

Quenching of Si nanocrystal photoluminescence by doping with gold or phosphorous

Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO₂ doped with P and Au at concentrations in the range of 1×10¹⁸-3×10²⁰ cm⁻³ exhibit photoluminescence quenching. Upon increasing the Au concentration, a gradual decrease in nanocrystal photoluminescence intensity is observed. Using a statistical model for luminescence quenching, we derive a typical radius of ∼3 nm for nanocrystals luminescing around 800 nm. Au doping also leads to a luminescence lifetime reduction, which is attributed to energy transfer between adjacent Si nanocrystals, possibly mediated by the presence of Au in the form of ions or nanocrystals. Doping with P at concentrations up to 3×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ leads to a luminescence enhancement, most likely due to passivation of the nanocrystal-SiO₂ interfaces. Upon further P doping the nanocrystal luminescence gradually decreases, with little change in luminescence lifetime.     

Visible photoluminescence from silicon nanopowders produced by silicon evaporation in a high-power electron beam

Silicon nanopowders produced by electron-beam-induced evaporation of a bulk silicon sample in an argon atmosphere are studied by the photoluminescence technique and Raman scattering spectroscopy. A photoluminescence peak in the visible region of the spectrum has been detected at room temperature in powders consisting of silicon nanocrystals. The strong short-wavelength shift of the photoluminescence peak can be attributed to the quantum size effect of electrons and holes in small silicon nanocrystals (about 2 nm). The size of silicon nanocrystals is determined by analyzing Raman spectra, and it is consistent with estimates obtained from photoluminescence data.     

Effect of subsurface boron on photoluminescence from silicon nanocrystals

Silicon (Si) nanocrystals (NCs) less than 5 nm in diameter are grown on SiO₂ surfaces using hot wire chemical vapor deposition in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber and the dangling bonds are passivated using atomic deuterium. The passivated NCs are subsequently exposed to BD_x radicals formed by dissociating deuterated diborane (B₂D₆) over a hot tungsten filament and photoluminescence quenching is observed. Temperature programmed desorption spectra reveal the presence of additional D₂ desorption peaks beyond those found for surfaces that have only been passivated by atomic deuterium. The additional peaks appear at lower temperatures and this can be attributed to deuterium desorption from surface Si atoms bonded to subsurface boron atoms. The subsurface boron likely enhances nonradiative Auger recombination leading to photoluminescence quenching.     

Luminescence and structure of nanosized inclusions formed in SiO2 layers under double implantation of silicon and carbon ions

Luminescent and structural characteristics of SiO₂ layers exposed to double implantation by Si⁺ and C⁺ ions in order to synthesize nanosized silicon carbide inclusions have been investigated by the photoluminescence, electron spin resonance, transmission electron microscopy, and electron spectroscopy methods. It is shown that the irradiation of SiO₂ layers containing preliminary synthesized silicon nanocrystals by carbon ions is accompanied by quenching the nanocrystal-related photoluminescence at 700–750 nm and by the enhancement of light emission from oxygen-deficient centers in oxide in the range of 350–700 nm. Subsequent annealing at 1000 or 1100°C results in the healing of defects and, correspondingly, in the weakening of the related photoluminescence peaks and also recovers in part the photoluminescence of silicon nanocrystals if the carbon dose is less than the silicon dose and results in the intensive white luminescence if the carbon and silicon doses are equal. This luminescence is characterized by three bands at ～400, ～500, and ～625 nm, which are related to the SiC, C, and Si phase inclusions, respectively. The presence of these phases has been confirmed by electron spectroscopy, the carbon precipitates have the sp ³ bond hybridization. The nanosized amorphous inclusions in the Si⁺ + C⁺ implanted and annealed SiO₂ layer have been revealed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.     

Nanosecond dynamics of the near-infrared photoluminescence of Er-doped SiO2 sensitized with Si nanocrystals

We report on an observation of a fast 1.5 microm photoluminescence band from Er3+ ions embedded in an SiO2 matrix doped with Si nanocrystals, which appears and decays within the first microsecond after the laser excitation pulse. We argue that the fast excitation and quenching are facilitated by Auger processes related to transitions of confined electrons or holes between the space-quantized levels of Si nanocrystals dispersed in SiO2. We show that a great part--about 50%--of all Er dopants is involved in these fast processes and contributes to the submicrosecond emission.     

Resonant electronic energy transfer from excitons confined in silicon nanocrystals to oxygen molecules

We demonstrate efficient resonant energy transfer from excitons confined in silicon nanocrystals to molecular oxygen (MO). Quenching of photoluminescence (PL) of silicon nanocrystals by MO physisorbed on their surface is found to be most efficient when the energy of excitons coincides with triplet-singlet splitting energy of oxygen molecules. The dependence of PL quenching efficiency on nanocrystal surface termination is consistent with short-range resonant electron exchange mechanism of energy transfer. A highly developed surface of silicon nanocrystal assemblies and a long radiative lifetime of excitons are favorable for achieving a high efficiency of this process.     

Growth and optical properties of filamentary GaN nanocrystals grown on a hybrid SiC/Si(111) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

The potential to grow filamentary GaN nanocrystals by molecular beam epitaxy on a silicon substrate with a nanosized buffer layer of silicon carbide has been demonstrated. Morphological and optical properties of the obtained system have been studied. It has been shown that the intensity of the photoluminescence spectrum peak of such structures is higher than that of the best filamentary GaN nanocrystals without the buffer silicon carbide layer by a factor of more than two.     

Optical transitions in Ge nanocrystals formed by high-pressure annealing of Ge ion implanted SiO2 films

Optical transitions in Ge nanocrystals formed by high-pressure annealing of the Ge⁺ ion implanted SiO₂ films have been studied by Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. It has been found that the E₁,E₁+Δ₁ Raman resonance shift observed from the unstrained and hydrostatically compressed nanocrystals corresponds to the quantization of the electron-hole state spectrum of the Ge band. It has also been established that the appearance of a green photoluminescence band centered at 420-520 nm correlates with the formation of strained nanocrystals. Comparisons of the PL data with HRTEM results have been made, which suggest that the green PL arises from strained Ge nanocrystals of a radius of less than 5 nm. The direct electron-hole recombination at Γ is discussed as a possible origin of the observed photoluminescence band.     

Zinc sulphide photoluminescence under weak alternating electric field conditions

The phenomenon of the quenching of photoluminescence by a weak alternating electric field was examined in the light of theory and verified by experiments on zinc sulphides. It is believed that the quenching is brought about by processes in the local regions of the crystal which correspond to energy barriers and that quenching involves the transition of valence electrons, which have obtained their energy from the electrons accelerated by the field, into the levels of luminescence centres. The kinetics of the processes in the barriers has been considered both for a reverse bias (a half-period of de-excitations) and for a direct bias (a half-period of recombination), and an expression for the average (time) quenching was obtained. The quenching characteristics calculated from the expression for quenching correlate well with the experimental data.     

Effect of the in-plane magnetic field on the recombination radiation spectrum of spatially-separated electron-hole layers

Changes in the recombination radiation spectrum of spatially-separated electron-hole layers has been studied under variation of the in-plane magnetic field and interlayer distance. It has been found that a change in the spectral position of the luminescence line in the low-field limit is proportional to the square of the magnetic field with the proportionality coefficient depending on the interlayer distance. The observed dependence has been shown to agree with the theoretical conceptions, according to which the line shift is quadratic in the magnetic field and interlayer distance and inversely proportional to the sum of the electron and hole masses. This total mass obtained in the experiment has been found to depend on the electric field that separates the layers and may substantially differ from the expected value.     

Effect of surface Si-Si dimers on photoluminescence of silicon nanocrystals in the silicon dioxide matrix

The effect of surface states of silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon dioxide on the photoluminescent properties of the nanocrystals is reported. We have investigated the time-resolved and stationary photoluminescence of silicon nanocrystals in the matrix of silicon dioxide in the visible and infrared spectral ranges at 77 and 300 K. The structures containing silicon nanocrystals were prepared by the high-temperature annealing of multilayer SiO _x /SiO₂ films. The understanding of the experimental results on photoluminescence is underlain by a model of autolocalized states arising on surface Si-Si dimers. The emission of autocatalized excitons is found for the first time, and the energy level of the autolocalized states is determined. The effect of these states on the mechanism of the excitation and the photoluminescence properties of nanocrystals is discussed for a wide range of their dimensions. It is reliably shown that the cause of the known blue boundary of photoluminescence of silicon nanocrystals in the silicon dioxide matrix is the capture of free excitons on autolocalized surface states.     

掺杂Mn2+的浓度对CdS纳米颗粒光致发光的影响

采用反胶束法,合成了硅土包裹的掺有不同浓度的Mn2 的CdS纳米颗粒.高分辨电镜表明这些颗粒的直径小于5 nm.仅仅改变Mn2 的掺杂浓度,研究了这些颗粒的光致发光谱和光致发光激发谱,结果表明:Mn2 浓度的大小对掺杂CdS纳米颗粒的发光产生了重要的影响.通过电子顺磁共振谱的测量和分析揭露了Mn2 浓度影响这些掺杂颗粒发光效率的原因.     

Quenching of photoluminescence from GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well by an electric field at high temperature

Photoluminescence measurements at room temperature and at liquid nitrogen temperature on a GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well structure subject to an electric field are performed to study (i) the photoluminescence quenching and (ii) the shift in the photoluminescence energy induced by the field. The observed shifts in the luminescence energies are explained successfully in terms of the field induced electron-hole separation model. For the quenching of the luminescence intensities, more work, particularly on nonradiative processes, is required to clarify the mechanism.     

Influences of capping molecules on optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnS:Cu

ZnS:Cu nanocrystals capped with different capping molecules have been successfully synthesized by a simple aqueous method. The prepared nanocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive analysis by X-rays (EDAX). The surface characterization of the nanocrystals was done by FTIR spectroscopy. The effect of capping agents on absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the ZnS:Cu nanocrystals was studied. A blue shift of the absorption peaks was observed and attributed to a quantum confinement effect, which increases the band gap energy. The photoluminescence spectra of the capped ZnS:Cu nanocrystals showed a broad peak in the range of 460–480 nm. The intensity of the PL spectra strongly depended on the capping agents.     

Study of luminescent defects in hafnia thin films made with different deposition techniques

Hafnia thin films for high-power optical coatings have been characterized by photoluminescence pumped by 4.66 eV photons and photothermal deflection measurements. These data are compared to the statistical laser damage behavior in order to find correlations between destructive and non-destructive characterizations. Thin films have been produced at two thicknesses and using different thin-film deposition techniques typically employed for optical coating fabrication: EBD (HfO₂ target), EBD (Hf target), RLVIP and DIBS. The photoluminescence spectra show significant differences depending on the deposition techniques and thicknesses. EBD films show significant luminescence but the luminescence of ion-assisted films could not be distinguished from the uncoated substrate. All EBD coating spectra could be described by a linear combination of four bands. Further, XRD measurements show that the 255-nm-thick films had a relatively high crystallinity: EBD films contained the monoclinic phase and the ion-assisted films contained oriented nanocrystals of orthorhombic hafnia. The presence of orthorhombic phases indicates high compressive strain quenching the photoluminescence of these samples.