Polycrystalline Si nanoparticles and their strong aging enhancement of blue photoluminescence

Nearly spherical polycrystalline Si nanoparticles are fabricated based on laser ablation of silicon wafer immersed in sodium dodecyl sulfate aqueous solution. The aging enhancement at ambient air is attributed to progressive passivation of nonradiative [P.sub.b] centers corresponding to silicon dangling bonds on the particles' surfaces.