Valenta, JanPelant, ILuterova, KTomasiunas, RCheylan, StephanieElliman, Robert GLinnros, JanHonerlage, B2011-05-252011-05-250003-69511077-3118PACS - 42.79.Gn, 78.55.Ap, 78.67.Bf, 61.72.ufhttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/7364We show experimentally that a layer of silicon nanocrystals, prepared by the Si-ion implantation (with the energy of 400 keV) into a synthetic silica slab and exhibiting room-temperature red photoluminescence, can serve simultaneously as a single-mode planar optical waveguide. The waveguide is shown to self-select guided transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes from the broad photoluminescence emission of the nanocrystals resulting in a substantially narrower emission spectrum for these modes. We further report on an investigation of optical gain in a sample implanted to a dose of 4×1017 cm−2. Despite the occurrence of strong waveguiding, results of the variable stripe length method turned out not to be able to give unambiguous evidence for optical gain3 pageshttp://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/index.php "Author can archive pre-print (ie pre-refereeing) … post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing) … [and] publisher's version/PDF. Link to publisher version … [and] Copyright notice required. Publisher's version/PDF can be used on … employers web site." - from SHERPA/RoMEO site (as at 25/02/10). http://aip.org/pubservs/web_posting_guidelines.html. © 2003 The American Physical Institute. "This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics." - from publisher web site (as at 04/05/10)silicon, nanostructured materials, elemental semiconductors, photoluminescence, optical planar waveguides, ion implantation2003-02-1010.1063/1.15444332015-12-12