Plasmonic-enhanced photoluminescence in porous silicon with pore-embedded gold nanoparticles fabricated by direct reduction of chloroauric acid

The low efficiency of porous silicon (p-Si) luminescence hinders the development of silicon-based optoelectronic devices. The increase in p-Si emission using near-field enhancement, owing to the incorporation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into the photonic structure, is probably the most viable alternative. However, the coupling of plasmon resonance to p-Si emission is challenging because of the difficulty in controlling the size and location of the AuNPs with respect to the emissive p-Si layer. In this study, AuNPs were synthesized by clean direct reduction of chloroauric acid inside a p-Si photonic structure. As a result, AuNPs could be synthesized all along the pores of the p-Si structure, allowing for a six-fold enhancement of the p-Si photoluminescence, specifically for the emission band at 567 nm owing to the plasmon effect. Possible applications of this hybrid material include light-emitting devices and photoluminescence-based sensors.