Photoluminescence of GeO2 films containing germanium nanocrystals

Germanium nanocrystals were formed in a GeO2 film during the process of germanium monoxide gas-phase deposition onto a sapphire substrate and studied by photoluminescence (PL) and Raman scattering spectroscopy. A PL peak in this heterosystem was observed in the visible region at room temperature. The sizes of Ge nanocrystals were estimated from the position of a Raman peak corresponding to scattering by localized optical phonons in germanium. The PL peak position calculated with allowance for the electron and hole size quantization in Ge nanocrystals coincides well with the experimentally observed position of this peak. (C) 2003 MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica.