Metal-assisted chemical etch porous silicon formation method
First Claim
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1. A method for producing porous silicon, the method comprising steps of:
- depositing a thin discontinuous layer of metal on a Si surface;
forming the porous silicon by etching the Si surface having said discontinuous layer in a HF and oxidant solution, said etching being conducted without external electrical bias.
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Abstract
A thin discontinuous layer of metal such as Au, Pt, or Au/Pd is deposited on a silicon surface. The surface is then etched in a solution including HF and an oxidant for a brief period, as little as a couple seconds to one hour. A preferred oxidant is H2O2. Morphology and light emitting properties of porous silicon can be selectively controlled as a function of the type of metal deposited, Si doping type, silicon doping level, and/or etch time. Electrical assistance is unnecessary during the chemical etching of the invention, which may be conducted in the presence or absence of illumination.
77 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for producing porous silicon, the method comprising steps of:
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depositing a thin discontinuous layer of metal on a Si surface;
forming the porous silicon by etching the Si surface having said discontinuous layer in a HF and oxidant solution, said etching being conducted without external electrical bias. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for producing porous silicon, the method consisting of the following steps:
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depositing a thin discontinuous layer of metal on a Si surface;
forming the porous silicon by etching the Si surface in a HF and oxidant solution for a period of about two seconds up to 60 minutes, said etching being conducted without external electrical bias. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for producing porous silicon, the method comprising steps of:
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depositing metal on a Si surface in a thickness sufficient to permit nucleation that forms nanometer size metal particles and small enough to prevent formation of a continuous metal layer;
forming the porous silicon by etching the Si surface having said discontinuous layer in a HF and oxidant solution for a period of about two seconds up to 60 minutes, said ethcing being conducted without external electrical bias.
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Specification
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Current AssigneeBoard of Trustees of The University of Illinois
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Original AssigneeBoard of Trustees of The University of Illinois
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InventorsLi, Xiuling, Bohn, Paul W., Sweedler, Jonathan V.
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Primary Examiner(s)Vinh, Lan
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Application NumberUS09/662,682Time in Patent Office1,460 DaysField of Search438/745, 438/750, 438/753, 438/754, 438/571, 438/575, 438/580, 205/606, 205/674, 205/665, 216/56US Class Current438/745CPC Class CodesH01L 21/0203 Making porous regions on th...
