Nanocrystals and quantum dots formed by high-dose ion implantation

Ion implantation and thermal annealing have been used to produce a wide range of nanocrystals and quantum dots in amorphous (SiO{sub 2}) and crystalline (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) matrices. Nanocrystals of metals (Au), elemental semiconductors (Si and Ge), and even compound semiconductors (SiGe, CdSe, CdS) have been produced. In amorphous matrices, the nanocrystals are randomly oriented, but in crystalline matrices they are three dimensionally aligned. Evidence for photoluminescence and quantum confinement effects are presented