New forms of luminescent silicon: Silicon–silica composite mesostructures

Can mesoscopic luminescent silicon clusters be synthesized? The study reported here answers this question in the affirmative. The CVD of Si 2 H 6 in a 35 Å channel structure MCM‐41 silica host is described, with the growth of the clusters in the host channels receiving particular attention (see figure). Spectroscopic results and a model for the luminescence are presented. magnified image