http://nathan.instras.com/documentDB/paper-69.pdf

Porous silicon: a quantum sponge structure for silicon based optoelectronics

The present state-of-the-art in understanding the mechanisms of the formation of porous silicon (PS) and its physical properties is reviewed, with special emphasis on problems which were not much in the focus of existing review literature: mechanisms of the pore growth, stability of the PS properties in environment and electrical properties of PS layers. Emerging applications of porous silicon in different fields of technology are outlined.

Porous silicon—mechanisms of growth and applications

The current‐voltage characteristics and the photoresponse of metal‐porous Si–p‐type Si heterostructures have been studied. It is shown that the common interpretation of the current‐voltage characteristics, which assumes that the current is limited by the Schottky barrier at the metal‐porous Si interface, is wrong. An alternative explanation based on the electric‐field dependence of the porous Si conductivity is suggested. It is shown that the rectifying behavior originates from a depletion inside the c‐Si substrate at its interface to the porous Si.

Band alignment and carrier injection at the porous‐silicon–crystalline‐silicon interface

a b s t r a c t This review is devoted to summarising the hydrogen-assisted properties and applications of porous silicon (PS) The role of hydrogen as an intermediate product in silicon porosification technology is accentuated The regularities of hydrogen bonding in PS and its applications for hydrogen storage are listed The models of hydrogen influence on luminescence and electrical properties of PS are analysed The corresponding applications of PS for H2 gas sensors and pH metres are illustrated Hydrogen-assisted explosion and grafting of PS are discussed Such a review can be useful for the tailoring of PS properties

Hydrogen in porous silicon — A review

Electrical behaviour of aluminium-porous silicon junctions

The current injection into metal/porous Si/bulk Si diodes is investigated by transport and photoresponse measurements. Under low forward bias, the diode current is determined by the space charge region at the porous Si/bulk Si interface. The activation energy of the photovoltage shows that holes are injected into porous Si states which have little quantum confinement. This is discussed in terms of the confinement model for porous Si photoluminescence.

E. J. Lous

Papers

Behavior of a rectifying junction at the interface between porous silicon and its substrate

Carrier injection and transport in porous silicon Schottky diodes