Analysis of the Structure of Light-emitting Porous Silicon by Raman Scattering

Abstract

AbastracRaman spectra from a thick porous silicon film (∼100 μm) that strongly emits in the visible (∼ 6350 Å) at room temperature are obtained. An asymmetric peak with a Raman shift of ∼ 508 - 510 cm−1 and a width of ∼ 40 cm−1 is seen in every spectrum. This Raman feature resembles that of μc-Si, suggesting that the local structure of the porous silicon is a network of interconnected crystalline silicon islands with the island size in the nanometer range., and that the, shape of the islands is more sphere-like than rod-like. The characteristic dimension of the islands in these porous silicon films is estimated to be ∼ 2.5 - 3.0 nm on the basis of an empirical model calculation of phonon confinement.