Electroluminescent solid state devices based on silicon nanowires, fabricated by using lithography and etching techniques

Silicon quantum wires in the form of silicon pillars on silicon were fabricated by using lithography and etching techniques. They were then used to fabricate electroluminescent silicon devices and to start the investigation of carrier transport through the wires. Isolation between wires was achieved by a non-conductive transparent polymer which was used to fill in the device area and to form a solid matrix for the thin silicon pillars. A semitransparent gold layer, 15-20 nm thick, or indium tin oxide, 100 nm thick, was used as contact metal. The diodes showed rectifying behavior and electroluminescence at room temperature at forward bias. The onset of light emission was in general at a bias voltage of the order of 10-12 V but in some cases light was observed at much lower voltages (3-5 V). Light emission was stable over several hours of operation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.