Broadening and tuning of spontaneous Raman emission in porous silicon at 1.5 microns

In the last three years, the possibility of light generation and/or amplification in silicon, based on Raman emission, has achieved significant results. However, limitations inherent to the physics of silicon have been pointed out, too. In this letter, an approach based on Raman scattering in porous silicon is investigated. Two significant advantages with respect to silicon are proved: the broadening of spontaneous Raman emission and the tuning of the Stokes shift. Finally, we discuss about the prospect of Raman amplifier in porous silicon.