Electrochemical Aspects of Porous Silicon Formation

The electrochemistry of porous silicon formation has been investigated by different electrochemical as well as surface analytical methods. The kinetics of pore nucleation was observed as small steps in fast current and potential pulse transients. Oxidic intermediates were identified by ex-situ XPS. Cyclic voltammetry in solutions of different HF concentration was correlated with the etching rate of silicon dioxide. On the basis of these experimental data, an electrochemical model for the porous silicon formation is presented.