Excitation of luminescence in porous silicon with adsorbed ozone molecules

A new effect of the excitation of luminescence in porous silicon during adsorption of ozone from the gaseous phase was investigated. The signals of ozone-induced luminescence and photoluminescence decay with time of ozone exposure in a strictly correlated way; simultaneously, an oxide-phase growth is observed in porous silicon. A linear relationship was found between the luminescence intensity and the amount of oxide phase formed in the presence of ozone. Correlated shifts in the spectra of ozone-induced luminescence and photoluminescence are observed if the porosity of silicon varies. A mechanism for this effect is proposed. According to this mechanism, in the case of the dissociative adsorption of ozone, the exothermic reaction of oxidation of backbonds of a silicon atom takes place on the surface of nanocrystallites. Energy released is spent for the excitation of electron spectrum of silicon crystallites. The radiative relaxation in the case of ozone excitation proceeds similarly to that of the photon excitation of luminescence in porous silicon.