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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
We have studied the visible photoluminescence (PL) and microstructure of porous Si layers (PSLs) fabricated by the chemical etching of annealed amorphous Si (a-Si). The a-Si layers were partially crystallized by annealing between 550°C-1150°C in N2 and the PSL formed by etching in a HF-HNO3-based solution. No visible PL was observed after etching of unannealed a-Si. Visible PL was detected after etching a-Si layers first annealed at temperatures ≥725°C, coinciding with the observation of Si microcrystallites in the annealed layer prior to etching. The results suggest that an initial crystalline structure is important for fabricating luminescent PSLs.