ELECTROLUMINESCENT SILICON DEVICE

摘要

An electroluminescent silicon device (10) includes a silicon structure (12) which comprises a bulk silicon layer (14) and a porous silicon layer (16). The porous layer (16) has merged pores (20) which define silicon quantum wires (18). The quantum wires (18) have a surface passivation layer (22). The porous layer (16) exhibits photoluminescence under ultra-violet irradiation. The porous layer (16) is pervaded by a conductive material such as an electrolyte (24) or a metal (48). The conductive material (24) assures that an electrically continuous current path extends through th e porous layer (16); it does not degrade the quantum wire surface passivation (22) sufficiently to render the quantum wires (18) non-luminescent, and it injects minority carriers into the quantum wires. An electrode (26) contacts the conductive material (24) a nd the bulk silicon layer has an Ohmic contact (28). When biased the electrode (26) is the anode and the silicon structure (12) i s the cathode. Electroluminescence is then observed in the visible region of the spectrum.