Silicon Quantum Dots in Dielectric Scattering Media: Broadband Enhancement of Effective Absorption Cross Section by Light Trapping

We report strong enhancements of the effective absorption cross section and photoluminescence (PL) intensity of silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) with 2.8-6.8 nm in diameter in a highly scattering dielectric medium. The scattering medium is a polymer thin film with submicrometer size pores inside, supporting the resonant cavity modes in the visible range. By the scattering associated with the cavity modes, efficient light trapping into a polymer film with ∼1 μm in thickness is achieved, which leads to 30-40 times enhancement of the effective absorption cross section of embedded Si QDs in a green-red wavelength range. The scattering medium can also enhance up to 40 times the PL of QDs. Detailed analysis reveals that the enhancements of the extraction efficiency as well as the excitation efficiency contribute to the PL enhancement.