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Journal ArticleDOI

Silicon quantum wire array fabrication by electrochemical and chemical dissolution of wafers

03 Sep 1990-Applied Physics Letters (American Institute of Physics)-Vol. 57, Iss: 10, pp 1046-1048
TL;DR: In this paper, free standing Si quantum wires can be fabricated without the use of epitaxial deposition or lithography using electrochemical and chemical dissolution steps to define networks of isolated wires out of bulk wafers.
Abstract: Indirect evidence is presented that free‐standing Si quantum wires can be fabricated without the use of epitaxial deposition or lithography. The novel approach uses electrochemical and chemical dissolution steps to define networks of isolated wires out of bulk wafers. Mesoporous Si layers of high porosity exhibit visible (red) photoluminescence at room temperature, observable with the naked eye under <1 mW unfocused (<0.1 W cm−2) green or blue laser line excitation. This is attributed to dramatic two‐dimensional quantum size effects which can produce emission far above the band gap of bulk crystalline Si.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the optical properties of porous Si films produced by electrochemical dissolution of Si are reviewed and an inverse relationship between the optical gap energy and the average nanoparticle size has been obtained demonstrating the quantum confinement of electron-hole pairs in Si nanocrystallites.

199 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Band gap modification for small-diameter silicon nanowires resulting from the use of different species for surface termination is investigated by density functional theory calculations, resulting in relative energy shifts of up to an electronvolt.
Abstract: Band gap modification for small-diameter (1 nm) silicon nanowires resulting from the use of different species for surface termination is investigated by density functional theory calculations. Because of quantum confinement, small-diameter wires exhibit a direct band gap that increases as the wire diameter narrows, irrespective of surface termination. This effect has been observed in previous experimental and theoretical studies for hydrogenated wires. For a fixed cross-section, the functional group used to saturate the silicon surface significantly modifies the band gap, resulting in relative energy shifts of up to an electronvolt. The band gap shifts are traced to details of the hybridization between the silicon valence band and the frontier orbitals of the terminating group, which is in competition with quantum confinement.

198 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the preparation of nanometer sized crystallites of silicon by a pulsed laser ablation supersonic expansion technique was reported, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to verify that particles with diameter in the range of ∼3 nm and greater were produced.
Abstract: We report the preparation of nanometer sized crystallites of silicon by a pulsed laser ablation supersonic expansion technique. High resolution transmission electron microscopy is used to verify that particles with diameter in the range of ∼3 nm and greater are produced. Glancing angle x‐ray diffraction results confirm that the particles formed have the silicon diamond cubic crystal structure. Visible photoluminescence emission from self‐supporting thin films of agglomerated nanocrystallites is observed under excitation with ultraviolet light.

196 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the transition from an indirect to a fundamental direct bandgap material will be discussed, and the most commonly used approaches, i.e., molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), will be reviewed in terms of crucial process parameters, structural as well as optical quality and employed precursor combinations including Germanium hydrides, Silicon hydride and a variety of Sn compounds like SnD4, SnCl4 or C6H5SnD3.

193 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a highly sensitive photodetector was made with a metal-porous silicon junction and the spectral response was measured for the wavelength range from 400 nm to 1.075 μm.
Abstract: A highly sensitive photodetector was made with a metal‐porous silicon junction. The spectral response was measured for the wavelength range from 400 nm to 1.075 μm. It was demonstrated that close to unity quantum efficiency could be obtained in the wavelength range of 630–900 nm without any antireflective coating. The detector response time was about 2 ns with a 9 V reverse bias. The possible mechanisms are discussed.

193 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the properties of electrolyte-semiconductor barriers are described, with emphasis on germanium, and the use of these barriers in localizing electrolytic etching is discussed.
Abstract: Properties of electrolyte-semiconductor barriers are described, with emphasis on germanium. The use of these barriers in localizing electrolytic etching is discussed. Other localization techniques are mentioned. Electrolytes for etching germanium and silicon are given.

1,039 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that a standard, widespread, chemical-preparation method for silicon, oxidation followed by an HF etch, results in a surface which from an electronic point of view is remarkably inactive, which has implications for the ultimate efficiency of silicon solar cells.
Abstract: We have found that a standard, widespread, chemical-preparation method for silicon, oxidation followed by an HF etch, results in a surface which from an electronic point of view is remarkably inactive. With preparation in this manner, the surface-recombination velocity on Si111g is only 0.25 cm/sec, which is the lowest value ever reported for any semiconductor. Multiple-internal-reflection infrared spectroscopy shows that the surface appears to be covered by covalent Si-H bonds, leaving virtually no surface dangling bonds to act as recombinatiuon centers. These results have implications for the ultimate efficiency of silicon solar cells.

910 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, multiple internal infrared reflection spectroscopy has been used to identify the chemical nature of chemically oxidized and subsequently HF stripped silicon surfaces, and these very inert surfaces are found to be almost completely covered by atomic hydrogen.
Abstract: Multiple internal infrared reflection spectroscopy has been used to identify the chemical nature of chemically oxidized and subsequently HF stripped silicon surfaces. These very inert surfaces are found to be almost completely covered by atomic hydrogen. Results using polarized radiation on both flat and stepped Si(111) and Si(100) surfaces reveal the presence of many chemisorption sites (hydrides) that indicate that the surfaces are microscopically rough, although locally ordered. In particular, the HF‐prepared Si(100) surface appears to have little in common with the smooth H‐saturated Si(100) surface prepared in ultrahigh vacuum.

588 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors measured hydrogen desorption from monohydride and dihydride species on crystalline-silicon surfaces using transmission Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
Abstract: Hydrogen desorption kinetics from monohydride and dihydride species on crystalline-silicon surfaces were measured using transmission Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The FTIR desorption measurements were performed in situ in an ultrahigh-vacuum chamber using high-surface-area porous-silicon samples. The kinetics for hydrogen desorption from the monohydride and dihydride species was monitored using the SiH stretch mode at 2102 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and the ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{2}$ scissors mode at 910 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, respectively. Annealing studies revealed that hydrogen from the ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{2}$ species desorbed between 640 and 700 K, whereas hydrogen from the SiH species desorbed between 720 and 800 K. Isothermal studies revealed second-order hydrogen desorption kinetics for both the monohydride and dihydride surface species. Desorption activation barriers of 65 kcal/mol (2.82 eV) and 43 kcal/mol (1.86 eV) were measured for the monohydride and dihydride species, respectively. These desorption activation barriers yield upper limits of 84.6 kcal/mol (3.67 eV) and 73.6 kcal/mol (3.19 eV) for the Si-H chemical bond energies of the SiH and ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{2}$ surface species.

479 citations