We report a low temperature procedure for the fabrication of highly luminescent silicon nanoparticles in silicon-rich oxide films. A number density over 10(12)/cm(2) has been achieved for silicon particles of about 3 nm in size by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at a substrate temperature of 30 degreesC. Such deposits, when post-annealed at 500 degreesC for 2 min, manifested a photoluminescence two orders of magnitude more intense than those samples grown at 250 degreesC. Strong photoluminescence in the whole visible light range has been measured in samples prepared with this low-temperature procedure. The present results indicate the feasibility of fabricating silicon-based light-emitting devices with moderate processing temperatures. (C) 2004 American Vacuum Society.