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The intensity of visible photoluminescence from thin films of silicon nanoparticles was found to be dependent upon the degree of surface passivation on the nanoparticles, while the emission energy was independent of the specific chemical properties of the passivating species. All findings were consistent with a simple quantum confinement model of emission where particle size determines emission energy and surface passivation determines emission intensity.

X-ray and microscopic analyses of the synthesis of Ge nanocrystals in a Si host matrix reveal that deposition of the discrete Ge particles occurs inside the polycrystalline Si host matrix and that all particles exhibit crystalline properties with the same lattice spacing as Ge. Ge-induced increase in the Si deposition rate from silanes promotes the development of the Si layer around the nanocrystals. Rutherford backscattering measurements help evaluate the composition and optical properties of the Ge cluster/Si host composite material.