Metal-assisted chemical etching in HF/H2O2 produces porous silicon

X. Li, P. W. Bonn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A simple and effective method is presented for producing light-emitting porous silicon (PSi). A thin (d<10 nm) layer of Au, Pt, or Au/Pd is deposited on the (100) Si surface prior to immersion in a solution of HF and H2O2. Depending on the type of metal deposited and Si doping type and doping level, PSi with different morphologies and light-emitting properties is produced, PSi production occurs on the time scale of seconds, without electrical current, in the dark, on both p-and n-type Si. Thin metal coatings facilitate the etching in HF and H2O2, and of the metals investigated, Pt yields the fastest etch rates and produces PSi with the most intense luminescence. A reaction scheme involving local coupling of redox reactions with the metal is proposed to explain the metal-assisted etching process. The observation that some metal remains on the PSi surface after etching raises the possibility of fabricating in situ PSi contacts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2572-2574
Number of pages3
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume77
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 16 2000

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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