High-Yield Synthesis of Luminescent Silicon Quantum Dots in a Continuous Flow Non-thermal Plasma Reactor

摘要

Light-emission from silicon based on quantum confinement in nanoscale structures has sparked intense research into this field ever since its discovery about 15 years ago. The lack of a simple high-yield synthesis approach for luminescent silicon nanocrystals has so far hampered their widespread application in such diverse areas as opto-electronics, solid-state lighting for general illumination, and fluorescent agents for biological applications. In this paper we discuss a non-thermal plasma process for the synthesis of luminescent silicon nanocrystals. The particle size is mainly controlled by the residence time in the plasma region. The system is capable of producing several tens of milligrams of luminescent powder per hour.