Porous Silicon Morphology: Photo-Electrochemically Etched by Different Laser Wavelengths

Abstract

Porous silicon (PS) has become the focus of attention in upgrading silicon for optoelectronics. In this work, various structures were produced depending on the formation parameters by photo-electrochemical etching (PECE) process of n- and p-type silicon wafer at different time durations (5–90 mins) and different current densities (5, 15, and 20 mA/cm2) for each set of time durations. Diode lasers of 405 nm, 473 nm, and 532 nm wavelengths, each 50 mW power, were used to illuminate the surface of the samples during the etching process. The results showed that controlled porous layers were achieved by using blue laser, giving uniform structure which can make it possible to dispense with expensive methods of patterning the silicon.