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Plasmons on Luminescent Porous Silicon Prepared with Ethanol and Critical Point Drying

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2011

O. Resto ,
L. F. Fonseca ,
S. Z. Weisz ,
A. Many  and
Y. Goldstein
O. Resto
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, PR 00931, USA
L. F. Fonseca
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, PR 00931, USA
S. Z. Weisz
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, PR 00931, USA
A. Many
Affiliation:
Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
Y. Goldstein
Affiliation:
Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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Abstract

We investigated the plasmon characteristics on luminescent porous silicon using electron energy loss spectroscopy. The samples were prepared from p-type crystalline silicon, (100) face, using the conventional electrochemical etching technique with the usual solution of HF, ethanol and water, followed by a critical point drying process. The energy of the bulk plasmon was measured both before and after sputter cleaning the sample with argon-ion bombardment. We found that initially the plasmon energy was slightly higher, ∼18 eV, than the plasmon energy of crystalline silicon. After sputter cleaning the sample with 5 keV Ar+ ions, the plasmon energy increased to ∼20 eV. Exposure to the electron beam used for the measurements caused a slow upward shift of the plasmon energy as a function of time, toward a saturation energy of 22-23 eV, an energy close to the plasmon energy of SiC. Auger spectroscopy performed in parallel showed an increasing carbon coverage. We prepared also samples without ethanol in the etching solution and/or with no critical point drying. Samples that did not undergo the critical point drying process showed consistently a practically constant plasmon energy, with almost no change upon sputtering and/or exposure to the electron beam. On the other hand, samples that were prepared with or without ethanol but using the critical point drying process, showed an appreciable increase in the plasmon energy upon exposure to the electron beam.

We conclude that traces of CO2, used in the critical point drying process, are stored in the pores of the porous silicon surface and serve as a source of carbon. Apparently, upon activation by argon bombardment or by the electron beam, the carbon interacts with the porous Si surface forming a carbon-silicon compound, most probably SiC.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 536: Symposium F – Microcrystalline & Nanocrystalline Semiconductors - 1998 , 1998 , 229
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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