Conditions of Elaboration of Luminescent

We present a systematic study of the preparation and properties of porous silicon obtained by anodic etching of device-grade hydrogenated amorphous silicon. Highly luminescent porous material is produced from boron-doped films and, by hole injection, from undoped films. A striking difference between amorphous and crystalline Si lies in an electrochemical instability which limits the maximum obtainable thickness in porous material. The luminescence mechanism for porous a-Si:H appears to be markedly different from that of its crystalline counterpart. The efficient photoluminescence (PL) of porous silicon at room temperature has inspired significant research efforts, while preliminary attempts to prepare luminescent porous material from a-Si:H yielded disappointing results. This study demonstrates the potential for creating photoluminescent porous silicon using both undoped and p-type materials, with boron doping ranging from 0.05% to 1.5%. A special technique involving hole injection from a heavily doped p1 electrode was employed to prepare undoped films. This investigation aims to clarify the methods and properties of luminescent porous silicon, contrasting its formation with that of silicon obtained from different precursors.