Structural, Surface Morphological and Photoluminescence Properties of Nanostructured Porous Silicon Material for Optoelectronics Application

Abstract

The promotion of silicon (Si) from being the key material for microelectronics to an interesting material for optoelectronic application is a consequence of the possibility to reduce its device dimensionally by a cheap and easy technique. In fact, electrochemical etching of Si under controlled conditions leads to the formation of nanocrystalline porous silicon (PS) where quantum confinement of photo excited carriers and surface species yield to a band gap opening and an increased radiative transition rate resulting in efficient light emission. In the present study, the nanostructured PS samples were prepared using anodic etching of p-type silicon. The effect of current density on structural and optical properties of PS, has been investigated. XRD studies confirm the presence of silicon nanocrystallites in the PS structure. By increasing the current density, the average estimated values of grain size are found to be decreased. SEM images indicate that the pores are surrounded by a thick columnar network of silicon walls. The observed PL spectra at room temperature for all the current densities confirm the formation of PS structures with nanocrystalline features. PL studies reveal that there is a prominent visible emission peak at 606 nm. The obtained variation of intensity in PL emission may be used for intensity varied light emitting diode applications. These studies confirm that the PS is a versatile material with potential for optoelectronics application.