Various laser wavelengths have been employed to synthesize luminescent nanocrystallites of n-type silicon by laser-induced etching (LIE) process. These nanocrystallites exhibit light emission in the visible region. Both the photoluminescence (PL) emission and the surface morphology of the photosynthesized layer were significantly controlled by laser processing parameters. An estimate of the nanocrystallite sizes present in the photosynthesized layer was obtained from a modified quantum confinement model appropriate for spherical nanocrystallites. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.