Effect of rapid oxidation on optical and electrical properties of silicon nanowires obtained by chemical etching

Abstract

In the present work, we report the investigation of passivated silicon nanowires (SiNWs) having an average radius of 3.7 μ m, obtained by chemical etching of p -type silicon ( p -Si). The surface passivation of the SiNWs was performed through a rapid oxidation conducted under a controlled atmosphere at different temperatures and durations. The morphology of the SiNWs was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that revealed a wave-like structure of dense and vertically aligned one-dimensional silicon nanostructures. On the other hand, optical and electrical characterizations of the SiNWs were studied using a UV-Vis-NIR spectrometer, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and I - V measurements. The reflectance of SiNWs has been dropped to approximately 2% in comparison to that of bare p -Si. This low reflectance slightly increased after carrying out the rapid thermal annealing. The observed behavior was attributed to the formation of a SiO 2 layer, as confirmed by FTIR measurements. Finally, the electrical measurements have shown that the rapid oxidation, at certain conditions, contributes to the improvement of the electrical responses of the SiNWs, which can be of great interest for photovoltaic applications.