Contact and contactless methods for measuring the parameters of porous silicon

In this work we have used contact and contactless techniques to measure the electrical resistivity of single crystal silicon wafers with porous layers of variable thickness synthesized on the surface. The porous layers have been synthesized on the surfaces of single crystal wafers with well pronounced microroughness pattern, either textured or grinded. We have used the classic four-probe method with a linear probe arrangement as the contact measurement technique, and the resonance microwave method based on microwave absorption by free carriers as the contactless measurement technique. Electrical resistivity distribution over the specimen surface has been mapped based on the measurement results. We have demonstrated a general agreement between the electrical resistivity distribution patterns as measured using the contact and contactless measurement techniques. To analyze the electrical resistivity scatter over the specimen surface area we have simulated the field distribution in the electrolyte during porous layer formation in a non-planar anode cell. The regularities of the electrical resistivity spatial distribution in different types of specimens are accounted for by specific porosity formation mechanisms which in turn are controlled by the initial microroughness pattern and the field distribution pattern in the electrolyte for each specific case.

porous silicon, electrical resistivity, contactless method, four-probe method, electrochemical etching

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