Using multilayer structures to enhance the electrical properties of porous silicon for thermal sensing

Porous silicon holds great promise as an optically and electrically tuneable material platform for high performance thermo-resistive sensing. Fulfilling this promise requires the ability to independently control the two critical parameters which determine the sensitivity (specifically the minimum temperature difference resolution) of thermal detectors: the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and 1/f noise of the sensing material. In single porosity films these two properties are monolithically dependent, with both TCR and 1/f noise constant increasing with porosity. Here we show that use of multilayer films allows manipulation of properties of the overall structure to simultaneously achieve high TCR and low 1/f noise. Characterization of electrical properties of various porosity combinations revealed that using a two-layer heterostructure on Si substrate with low porosity (48 %) as the top layer and a high porosity (80 %) as the lower layer, both high TCR (∼ 4.4 %/K) and low 1/f noise constant (4 × 10−13) could be simultaneously achieved. This transforms the ability to exploit porous silicon for future high sensitivity based thermal detectors.