Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Study of Porous Silicon Prepared Using Metal-Induced Etching (MIE): a Comparison with Laser-Induced Etching (LIE)

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Silicon Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Porous silicon (p-Si), prepared by two routes (metal induced etching (MIE) and laser induced etching (LIE)) have been studied by comparing the observed surface morphologies using SEM. A uniformly distributed smaller (submicron sized) pores are formed when MIE technique is used because the pore formation is driven by uniformly distributed metal (silver in present case) nanoparticles, deposited prior to the porosification step. Whereas in p-Si, prepared by LIE technique, wider pores with some variation in pore size as compared to MIE technique is observed because a laser having gaussian profile of intensity is used for porosification. Uniformly distribute well-aligned Si nanowires are observed in samples prepared by MIE method as seen using cross-sectional SEM imaging. A single photoluminescence (PL) peak at 1.96 eV corresponding to red emission at room temperature is observed which reveals that the Si nanowires, present in p-Si prepared by MIE, show quantum confinement effect. The single PL peak confirms the presence of uniform sized nanowires in MIE samples. These vertically aligned Si nanowires can be used for field emission application.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Canham LT (1990) Silicon quantum wire array fabrication by electrochemical and chemical dissolution of wafers. Appl Phys Lett 57:1046–1048. doi:10.1063/1.103561

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Cullis AG, Canham LT (1991) Visible light emission due to quantum size effects in highly porous crystalline silicon. Nature 353:335–338. doi:10.1038/353335a0

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cullis AG, Canham LT, Calcott PDJ (1997) The structural and luminescence properties of porous silicon. J Appl Phys 82:909–965. doi:10.1063/1.366536

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Maier-Flaig F, Rinck J, Stephan M et al (2013) Multicolor silicon light-emitting diodes (SiLEDs). Nano Lett. doi:10.1021/nl3038689

  5. Soref R (2010) Silicon photonics: a review of recent literature. Silicon 2:1–6. doi:10.1007/s12633-010-9034-y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Soref R (2010) Mid-infrared photonics in silicon and germanium. Nat Photon 4:495–497. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2010.171

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Chen R, Li D, Hu H et al (2012) Tailoring optical properties of silicon nanowires by Au nanostructure decorations: enhanced raman scattering and photodetection. J Phys Chem C 116:4416–4422. doi:10.1021/jp210198u

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Létant S, Sailor MJ (2000) Detection of HF gas with a porous silicon interferometer. Adv Mater 12:355–359. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-4095(200003)12:5<355::AID-ADMA355>3.0.CO;2-H

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Lin VS-Y, Motesharei K, Dancil K-PS et al (1997) A porous silicon-based optical interferometric biosensor. Science 278:840–843. doi:10.1126/science.278.5339.840

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Canham LT (1995) Bioactive silicon structure fabrication through nanoetching techniques. Adv Mater 7:1033–1037. doi:10.1002/adma.19950071215

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wang B, Cancilla JC, Torrecilla JS, Haick H (2014) Artificial sensing intelligence with silicon nanowires for ultraselective detection in the gas phase. Nano Lett 14:933–938. doi:10.1021/nl404335p

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Flavel BS, Sweetman MJ, Shearer CJ et al (2011) Micropatterned arrays of porous silicon: toward sensory biointerfaces. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 3:2463–2471. doi:10.1021/am2003526

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ge M, Rong J, Fang X, Zhou C (2012) Porous doped silicon nanowires for lithium ion battery anode with long cycle life. Nano Lett 12:2318–2323. doi:10.1021/nl300206e

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Zhao Y, Liu X, Li H et al (2012) Hierarchical micro/nano porous silicon Li-ion battery anodes. Chem Commun 48:5079–5081. doi:10.1039/C2CC31476B

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Wei J, Buriak JM, Siuzdak G (1999) Desorption–ionization mass spectrometry on porous silicon. Nature 399:243–246. doi:10.1038/20400

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Li Q, Koo S-M, Edelstein MD et al (2007) Silicon nanowire electromechanical switches for logic device application. Nanotechnology 18:315202. doi:10.1088/0957-4484/18/31/315202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Wang B, Stelzner T, Dirawi R et al (2012) Field-effect transistors based on silicon nanowire arrays: effect of the good and the bad silicon nanowires. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 4:4251–4258. doi:10.1021/am300961d

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Föll H, Christophersen M, Carstensen J, Hasse G (2002) Formation and application of porous silicon. Mater Sci Eng R Rep 39:93–141. doi:10.1016/S0927-796X(02)00090-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Korotcenkov G, Cho BK (2010) Silicon porosification: state of the art. Crit Rev Solid State Mater Sci 35:153–260. doi:10.1080/10408436.2010.495446

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Vázsonyi É, Szilágyi E, Petrik P et al (2001) Porous silicon formation by stain etching. Thin Solid Films 388:295–302. doi:10.1016/S0040-6090(00)01816-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. González-Díaz B, Guerrero-Lemus R, Marrero N et al (2006) Anisotropic textured silicon obtained by stain-etching at low etching rates. J Phys Appl Phys 39:631. doi:10.1088/0022-3727/39/4/006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Shih S, Jung KH, Hsieh TY et al (1992) Photoluminescence and formation mechanism of chemically etched silicon. Appl Phys Lett 60:1863–1865. doi:10.1063/1.107162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Astrova EV, Borovinskaya TN, Tkachenko AV et al (2004) Morphology of macro-pores formed by electrochemical etching of p-type Si. J Micromech Microeng 14:1022. doi:10.1088/0960-1317/14/7/024

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Choy CH, Cheah KW (1995) Laser-induced etching of silicon. Appl Phys A 61:45–50. doi:10.1007/BF01538209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Hadjersi T, Gabouze N, Yamamoto N et al (2004) Photoluminescence from photochemically etched highly resistive silicon. Thin Solid Films 459:249–253. doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2003.12.103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Yamamoto N, Takai H (1999) Blue luminescence from photochemically etched silicon. Jpn J Appl Phys 38:5706–5709. doi:10.7567/JJAP.38.5706

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Mavi HS, Prusty S, Kumar M et al (2006) Formation of Si and Ge quantum structures by laser-induced etching. Phys Status Solidi - Appl Mater Sci 203:2444–2450. doi:10.1002/pssa.200521027

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Mavi HS, Islam SS, Kumar R, Shukla AK (2006) Spectroscopic investigation of porous GaAs prepared by laser-induced etching. J Non-Cryst Solids 352:2236–2242. doi:10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2006.02.046

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Kumar R, Mavi HS, Shukla AK (2008) Macro and microsurface morphology reconstructions during laser-induced etching of silicon. Micron 39:287–293. doi:10.1016/j.micron.2007.04.005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Kang Y, Jorné J (1998) Photoelectrochemical dissolution of N-type silicon. Electrochim Acta 43:2389–2398. doi:10.1016/S0013-4686(97)10150-5

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Juhasz R, Linnros J (2002) Silicon nanofabrication by electron beam lithography and laser-assisted electrochemical size-reduction. Microelectron Eng 61–62:563–568. doi:10.1016/S0167-9317(02)00532-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Li X, Bohn PW (2000) Metal-assisted chemical etching in HF/H2O2 produces porous silicon. Appl Phys Lett 77:2572–2574. doi:10.1063/1.1319191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Huang Z, Geyer N, Werner P et al (2011) Metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon: a review. Adv Mater 23:285–308. doi:10.1002/adma.201001784

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Huang Z, Shimizu T, Senz S et al (2009) Ordered arrays of vertically aligned [110] silicon nanowires by suppressing the crystallographically preferred <100> etching directions. Nano Lett 9:2519–2525. doi:10.1021/nl803558n

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Huang Z, Zhang X, Reiche M et al (2008) Extended arrays of vertically aligned sub-10 nm diameter [100] Si nanowires by metal-assisted chemical etching. Nano Lett 8:3046–3051. doi:10.1021/nl802324y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Lin L, Guo S, Sun X et al (2010) Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of porous silicon nanowire arrays. Nanoscale Res Lett 5:1822. doi:10.1007/s11671-010-9719-6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Chartier C, Bastide S, Lévy-Clément C (2008) Metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon in HF–H2O2. Electrochimica Acta 53:5509–5516. doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2008.03.009

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Zhong X, Qu Y, Lin Y-C, et al. (2011) Unveiling the formation pathway of single crystalline porous silicon nanowires. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 3:261–270. doi:10.1021/am1009056

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Kumar R, Mavi HS, Shukla AK, Vankar VD (2007) Photoexcited fano interaction in laser-etched silicon nanostructures. J Appl Phys 101:064315. doi:10.1063/1.2713367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Kumar R, Shukla AK (2009) Quantum interference in the Raman scattering from the silicon nanostructures. Phys Lett A 373:2882–2886. doi:10.1016/j.physleta.2009.06.005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Kumar R, Mavi HS, Shukla AK (2010) Spectroscopic investigation of quantum confinement effects in ion implanted silicon-on-sapphire films. Silicon 2:25–31. doi:10.1007/s12633-009-9033-z

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Shukla AK, Kumar R, Kumar V (2010) Electronic raman scattering in the laser-etched silicon nanostructures. J Appl Phys 107:014306. doi:10.1063/1.3271586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Wu H-C, Tsai T-Y, Chu F-H et al (2010) Electron field emission properties of nanomaterials on rough silicon rods. J Phys Chem C 114:130–133. doi:10.1021/jp908566q

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Collins RT, Fauchet PM, Tischler MA (1997) Porous silicon: from luminescence to LEDs. Phys Today 50:24–31. doi:10.1063/1.881650

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Material research laboratory, Discipline of Physics, School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Madhya Pradesh, 452017, India

    Shailendra K. Saxena, Hari M. Rai, Gayatri Sahu, Ravikiran Late, Pankaj R. Sagdeo & Rajesh Kumar

  2. Biophysics and Nanoscience Centre, DEB-CNISM, Universita della Tuscia, I-01100, Viterbo, Italy

    Vivek Kumar

  3. Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India

    Kapil Saxena & A. K. Shukla

  4. Material Science and Engineering Group, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Madhya Pradesh, 452017, India

    Pankaj R. Sagdeo & Rajesh Kumar

Authors
  1. Shailendra K. Saxena
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vivek Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hari M. Rai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gayatri Sahu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ravikiran Late
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kapil Saxena
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. A. K. Shukla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Pankaj R. Sagdeo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Rajesh Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rajesh Kumar.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

(DOC 820 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Saxena, S.K., Kumar, V., Rai, H.M. et al. Study of Porous Silicon Prepared Using Metal-Induced Etching (MIE): a Comparison with Laser-Induced Etching (LIE). Silicon 9, 483–488 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-014-9242-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-014-9242-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation