Correlation of size and photoluminescence for Ge nanocrystals in SiO2 matrices
Synthesis and size-dependent photoluminescence has been performed for Ge nanocrystals in SiO2 matrices with average diameters between 2 nm and 9 nm, formed by room temperature ion implantation into SiO2 followed by precipitation during vacuum thermal anneals. Nanocrystal size distributions obtained from electron microscopy data were used in conjunction with a quantum-confined exciton recombination model to generate calculated photoluminescence spectra, which were compared with experimental spectra.