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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Fabrication and Characterization of High-Q Silicon Nitride Membrane Resonators
Published on: August 8, 2025
First synthesis of silicon nanocrystals in amorphous silicon nitride from a preceramic polymer
M Biesuz1, P Bettotti2, S Signorini2
1University of Trento, Department of Industrial Engineering, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento, Italy.
Abstract:
We report the first synthesis of silicon nanocrystals embedded in a silicon nitride matrix through a direct pyrolysis of a preceramic polymer (perhydropolysilazane). Structural analysis carried out by XRD, XPS, Raman and TEM reveals the formation of silicon quantum dots and correlates the microstructures with the annealing temperature. The photoluminescence of the nanocomposites was investigated by both linear and nonlinear measurements. Furthermore we demonstrate an enhanced chemical resistance of the nitride matrix, compared to the typical oxide one, in both strongly acidic and basic environments. The proposed synthesis via polymer pyrolysis is a striking innovation potentially allowing a mass-scale production nitride embedded Si nanocrystals.
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