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Porous Silicon Formation by HNO3/HF Vapor Etching

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Handbook of Porous Silicon

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Abstract

The formation of porous silicon (PS) via a HNO3/HF vapor-etching (VE)-based technique is described. VE of silicon was found to lead to the growth of PS layers (PSLs) and/or a thick white layer identified as the (NH4)2SiF6 compound. Which phase dominates depends on the HNO3/HF volume ratio. High-resolution SEM observations show that p- and p+-type PSLs are composed of dot-like crystalline Si particles embedded in an amorphous phase, having sizes not exceeding 5 nm. Almost pure (NH4)2SiF6 may be obtained in a wide range of thicknesses for a HNO3/HF volume ratio exceeding 1/4. The (NH4)2SiF6 is highly soluble in water, enabling fabrication of grooves in Si wafers. Control over the growth of the (NH4)2SiF6 is demonstrated to realize groove patterns, which could be used in a variety of applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Technology Centre of Energy, Borj-Cedria Technoprak, BP. 95, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia

    Brahim Bessaïs

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  1. Brahim Bessaïs
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Correspondence to Brahim Bessaïs .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Malvern, Worcestershire, United Kingdom

    Leigh Canham

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© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Bessaïs, B. (2014). Porous Silicon Formation by HNO3/HF Vapor Etching. In: Canham, L. (eds) Handbook of Porous Silicon. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05744-6_7

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