Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
In addition to photoluminescence and electroluminescence porous silicon is capable of emitting an ultraviolet line spectrum. This emission can be observed already at ambient conditions. We could identify this line emission as the spectrum of nitrogen. At a pressure of about 10 mbar the UV-intensity exceeds the intensity at ambient pressure about two orders of magnitude. Angular dependent spectroscopy and the light emission behaviour at lowered pressure led us to the conclusion that the silicon structures in the samples behave as sub-micrometer-sized electron guns. Dye covered glass substrates can be excited by the intense UV-light at about 5-20 mbar so that the red and green light of the dyes can easily be recognized under usual laboratory illumination. A luminous density of 240 Cd/m2 and 40 Cd/m2 could be achieved for the green luminescing ZnS:Cu,Al and the red luminescing YVO4:Eu respectively. Continuous UV-light emission could be observed for more than 1.5 hours at 2 mbar.