Jorge Morales [1], Francisco J. Espinoza-Beltrán [2], Juan Francisco Pérez-Robles [2], Rafael Ramírez-Bon [2], Jesús González-Hernández [2]. [1] Posgrado en Ingeniería de la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, [2] CINVESTAV-IPN, Apdo. Postal 1-798, CP 76001, Querétaro, Qro. México.

Coating of SiO₂ with embedded nanoparticles of Si were made by the sol-gel method. Powder of Si nanoparticles of Si were made by the sol-gel method. Powder of Si nanoparticles was obtained by low energy ball milling. Powder of Si nanoparticles forms a colloidal suspension into ethanol. This colloidal system is a part of the components used to prepare a sol-gel solution. Coating thinner than one micrometer were deposited on Corning glass substrates. Surface roughness studies were made by using the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technique. These studies were made to study how the Si particles are dispersed into the SiO₂ coating. Optical and structural studies were perfomed by optical transmission, Raman scattering, and X-ray diffraction measurements.