Superlinear photoluminescence in silicon nanocrystals: The role of excitation wavelength

We study the influence of the wavelength of picosecond excitation pulses on the properties of photoluminescence (PL) in a series of samples of silicon nanocrystals prepared by ion implantation into silica matrix. We observed a gradual change in the behaviour of the PL fast component (spectral shape, decay times, pump-intensity dependence) when tuning the excitation wavelength from 355 to 532 nm. We interpret the results in terms of an interplay between the PL originating from volume states of nanocrystals containing two photoexcited carrier pairs, and the PL due to the silicon oxide states. We discuss also the role of the implant fluence on the PL properties of samples.