Optical Band Gaps and Electrical Conductance of Si Nanocrystals in SiO2 Matrix for Optoelectronic Applications

In this study, silicon nanocrystal (Si-nc) films were synthesized by compositing of Si-nc powder embedded in silicon oxide phase. The Si-nc film produced by the spin-coating methode using Tetraethylorthosilicate, ethanol, phosphoric acid, and Si-nc powder as suspension precursors. The variation in structural and optical properties of Si-nc sol films with the amounts of Si-nc powder have been characterized. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows that low density level of Si-nc power can result in the amount of porosity in the Si-nc films. It is found that when the Si-nc films have the higher Si-nc density, the small pores in the SiO2 phase were removed. In addition, optical energy gap (Eg) of Si-nc samples was evaluated by the Tauc plot method. It is a crucial attribute for a promising photonic device. The obtained optical bang gap values were extended from 1.10 eV to 1.40 eV as compared with the typical Si bulk. In addition, density of Si-nc clusters has a considerable effect on the electrical conductance of the Si-nc films measured at room temperature.