Mesopore Formation and Silicon Surface Nanostructuration by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching With Silver Nanoparticles.

ABSTRACT: This article presents a study on Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching (MACE) of silicon in HF-H₂O₂ using silver nanoparticles as catalysts. Our aim is a better understanding of the process to elaborate new 3D submicrometric surface structures useful for light management. We investigated MACE over the whole range of silicon doping, i.e., p⁺⁺, p⁺, p, p^-, n, n⁺, and n⁺⁺. We discovered that, instead of the well-defined and straight mesopores obtained in p and n-type silicon, in p⁺⁺ and n⁺⁺ silicon MACE leads to the formation of cone-shaped macropores filled with porous silicon. We account for the transition between these two pore-formation regimes (straight and cone-shaped pores) by modeling (at equil

SUBMITTER: Pinna E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7416550 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature