Two sources of excitation of photoluminescence of porous silicon

The change occurring in the photoluminescence spectra and the photoluminescence excitation spectra during aging of porous-silicon samples in air and in vacuum has been investigated. It was found that the character of the photoluminescence changes occurring during aging depends on the wavelength of the exciting light: In the case of excitation in the visible-range band of the luminescence excitation spectrum (λ_exc>490 nm) the photoluminescence decreases and in the case of excitation in the ultraviolet band it predominantly increases. It is shown that the two bands of the luminescence excitation spectrum (visible and ultraviolet) correspond to two different objects on the surface of the porous layer. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 31, 908–911 (August 1997)