A new route for fabrication of silicon QDs in a dielectric matrix of silica and silicate

Starting from stratification of alternating thin films of Si and ZnO produced by sputtering technique, followed by an annealing process at a sufficiently low temperature (560 degrees C) under vacuum (10(-4) mbar), we were able to form crystalline nano-aggregates of Si and ZnO in a dielectric matrix of zinc silicate and silicon oxide. The grain size of the Si crystallites depended on the Si/ZnO ratio in the starting material and on the annealing duration. Materials with tuned band gaps have been produced. (C) 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim