Chemical etching of silicon: Smooth, rough, and glowing surfaces

Scanning Force Microscope images of silicon surface morphology are presented for samples exposed to various oxidizing environments followed by oxide removal. These are contrasted with samples exposed to HNO₃/HF solutions. The former samples consistently produced surface roughness on the order of a few nanometers, while the latter solution exhibited surface roughness of several hundred to over a thousand nanometers. This rough surface is photoluminescent and is known as porous silicon. Careful observation of the onset of the reaction (which is proceeded by a concentration dependent induction period) suggests that the reaction mechanism is autocatalytic; some etchant product species catalyzes the further attack of the surface. Surface features of co-existing fluorescing and non-fluorescing regions emphasize the heavy etching present in the porous silicon region. Local control of the porous silicon formation by a photoinduced etching process is reported for the first time suggesting the possibility of a non-resist lithographic procedure.     

聚醚硅油表面迁移行为对聚苯乙烯表面极性的影响

利用变角衰减全反射傅立叶变换红外光谱(ATR-FTIR)法和接触角,分析了聚醚硅油在聚苯乙烯共混物薄膜表面的选择性富集行为及对其表面结构和表面极性的影响,认为接触介质的表面性质是影响共混物中各组分产生选择性迁移扩散的重要影响因素.强极性介质的诱导作用可以在共混物表面层中产生剧烈变化的浓度梯度,而弱极性介质所产生的表面浓度梯度比较缓和.     

Behavior of HfB<Subscript>2</Subscript>-SiC (10, 15, and 20 vol %) ceramic materials in high-enthalpy air flows

HfB₂–SiC ceramic samples containing 10, 15, and 20 vol % silicon carbide were prepared by spark plasma sintering. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, SEM, and other methods. Their densities and calculated porosities were determined. The behavior of the materials under heating by a subsonic dissociated air flow was studied on a VGU-4 high-frequency inductive plasmatron. The average surface temperatures of the 10 and 15 vol % SiC samples were shown to increase up to 2550–2675°C during heating, due to the generation of surface localities having temperatures of 2600–2700°C (the initial surface temperature was ~1700–1900°C) and the progressive growth of these regions in area. The overall time during which the average surface temperatures of these samples were higher than 2000°C, was about 31–32 min. For the 20 vol % SiC sample, heat removal (when the sample touched a water-cooled holder) was shown to influence the surface temperature and surface temperature distribution. The variation in gas-phase composition over the central area of the sample surface during an experiment was studied using emission spectroscopy. Explanations are proposed to the variation of boron and silicon concentrations in the course of exposure to high-enthalpy flows. The elemental and phase compositions were determined and the microstructures were studied on the surface and sections of samples after long-term (~40-min) exposure to high-enthalpy air flows.     

Investigation of acid-base and sorption properties of surface of metal–ceramic composites

The acid-base properties of the surface of composites based on boron, silicon, and sialon nitrides were investigated by the indicator method of Hammett and Tanabe with spectrophotometric indication. Identification of the surface sites of the composites under study was carried out. On the surface of composites based on boron and sialon nitrides the Lewis base sites dominate, while on the surface of samples based on silicon nitride the Brønsted acid sites. Sorption of dyes and oxalic acid by cermet materials was studied. It is shown that the adsorption activity depends on the nature and amount of surface active sites of the composites.     

两步法制备多孔硅及其表征I:恒电流法(英文)

本工作通过采用电化学极 -化学氧化两步法在 1:1氢氟酸和乙醇溶液中制备出孔径约为 1～ 2 μm ,厚度大经为 6～ 10 μm的多孔硅样品 .首先将 0 .0 3A/cm2 的恒电流施加到p( 10 0 )硅片一段时间 ,然后将该硅片浸到 2 0 %的硝酸溶液中氧化一段时间 .通过此方法获得的多孔硅结构再进一步用扫描电子显微镜和拉曼光谱仪进行表面形貌和光学性质的考察 .所有制备出的多孔硅结构均有光致发光现象 .老化的多孔硅样品 (在干燥器放置一年 )的光致发光谱峰强度明显增强 ,但分别经过苯乙烯和十六碳烯 ( 1)两种有机溶剂处理 1h后的老化多孔硅样品的光致发光强度却没有显著改变 .     

Effects of Ultraviolet Illumination and Pre-treatments on Porous Silicon Formation

Although porous silicon is readily formed by anodizing silicon wafers in HF-based solutions, its application in silicon-based optoelectronic devices is greatly limited due to its poor stability and low luminescence yield. It is well recognized that the nature of silicon wafers and the fabrication condition parameters significantly influence uniformity, stability and optical properties of porous silicon. In this work, the ultraviolet illumination and pre-treatments were investigated for porous silicon formation. The surface morphologies and optical properties of the samples were also studied.     

Impact sensitivity of energy systems based on nanoporous silicon and oxidant: influence of the hydrogen content and specific surface

The impact sensitivity of the energy systems based on nanoporous silicon, obtained by electrochemical etching of monocrystalline silicon wafers in an HF-containing electrolyte, and calcium perchlorate was studied using a modified Weller—Ventselberg technique (estimation of the impact sensitivity of initiating explosives). The impact sensitivity of these systems is shown to be determined by both the presence of hydrogen, which is stored on the porous silicon surface during the preparation of the latter, and also the influence of other factors, including the specific surface of porous silicon. The composition, amount of the generated gas, and gas evolution rate during nonisothermal and isothermal calcination of porous silicon in a temperature range of 60—120 °С were determined using methods of thermal gravimetry (TG), measurement of the gas volume, and mass spectrometry. The generated gas almost completely consists of hydrogen, and its content in the studied samples of porous silicon achieved ~3.8 wt.%. The calculated activation energy of the hydrogen evolution process in vacuo was 103.7±3.3 kJ mol^–1. The dependences of the impact sensitivity of the energy composition based on porous silicon and heat of combustion of porous silicon on oxygen on the hydrogen content were established. The impact sensitivity of the energy system decreases with a decrease in the hydrogen content in porous silicon and its specific surface.     

High surface area nanoporous amorphous silica prepared by dodecanol assisted silica formate sol-gel approach

A simple polycondensation of monocarboxylic acids with silicon alkoxides led to transparent silica gels mainly comprised of silicate species of closed structures. This 'sol-gel formic acid' approach was modified by trapping an organic template (dodecanol) inside the silicate network during the polymerization process. Using this templating approach, porous silica of extremely high surface area, was produced in contrast to non-porous silica obtained by non-templating approach. The S(BET) surface areas of the template assisted samples resulting from the entire pores were found to be up to 725 m(2)/g. The total pore volumes of the samples were in the range of 0.40-0.74 cc/g in which micropore volumes were about 0.15-0.25 cc/g; the porosity depending on the reactants molar ratios of dodecanol, silicon alkoxide and formic acid.     

预处理对多孔硅形成过程的影响(英文)

本工作初步探讨了开路电位下对硅片进行预处理时多孔硅的形成过程 .电化学极化实验、扫描电镜和拉曼谱学的研究表明 ,预处理可以加速硅 /溶液界面上的化学或电化学反应 ,从而加快多孔硅的生长过程 ,最终导致光致发光的光谱红移 .多孔硅的厚度随预处理时间的增长而减小     

Interface analysis of the system Si/YBa2Cu3O7?x

Summary The influence of different preparation conditions and substrate surface orientations on the superconducting properties of thin YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x (YBCO) films on silicon was studied. Comparative electrical and surface spectroscopic measurements were performed. SAM and SIMS depth profile analysis show an enrichment of barium at the interface between the superconductor and silicon for samples with T_c<76 K. Comparison with XPS data obtained for thin silicon films on YBCO indicates the formation of barium and yttrium silicates at the interface under these conditions.     

Enzymatic reaction of the immobilized enzyme on porous silicon studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry

Desorption/ionization on silicon mass spectrometry (DIOS-MS) is a matrix-free technique that allows for the direct desorption/ionization of low-molecular-weight compounds with little or no fragmentation of analytes. This technique has a relatively high tolerance for contaminants commonly found in biological samples. DIOS-MS has been applied to determine the activity of immobilized enzymes on the porous silicon surface. Enzyme activities were also monitored with the addition of a competitive inhibitor in the substrate solution. It is demonstrated that this method can be applied to the screening of enzyme inhibitors. Furthermore, a method for peptide mapping analysis by in situ digestion of proteins on the porous silicon surface modified by trypsin, combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-MS has been developed.     

Si掺杂TiO2催化剂的结构与可见光催化活性研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备出Si⁴⁺离子掺杂的TiO₂可见光催化剂 (TiO₂-xSi),该催化剂的可见光催化活性高于纯TiO₂和N掺杂的TiO₂(TiO₂-N).利用XRD、XPS、FT-IR和UV-Vis DRS等表征技术,研究了TiO₂-xSi催化剂的晶体结构、能带结构和表面性质.研究发现:掺入Si⁴⁺离子在TiO₂粒子表面主要形成Ti-O-Si结构,并在导带下0.2-0.6 eV区域形成表面态能级,该表面态能级的存在是催化剂产生可见光响应、实现可见光催化的根本原因.另外,讨论了Si⁴⁺离子的掺杂对金红石相和晶粒的生长抑制作用,以及催化剂的比表面积和表面羟基物种增加对可见光催化活性的影响.     

Influence of substrate chemistry and the network homogeneity of ultra‐thin cross‐linked polymer films cured at their surface on the main relaxations temperatures probing by microthermal analysis

Thin 200‐nm epoxy–amine mixtures were cured on silicon wafers with different surface chemistry to quantify the effect of the chemistry on the glass transition temperature evolution in ultra‐thin thermosetting films. Two surface treatments were investigated: the first one only consisted in the activation of the silanols groups at the silicon surface, whereas the second one consisted in the grafting 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) monolayer on the silicon wafers. The epoxy films were deposited on these chemistry modified wafers by spin coating a toluene solution of DGEBA–amine mixture at stoichiometric ratio. The same cure processing was used for both samples. Thin films were analysed not only using microthermal and thermomechanical analysis to determine the relaxation transitions temperatures of these films but also using FTIR in infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy mode to determine the curing rate of these networks. It was found that all these thin films showed two different glass transitions, the first one at 96 °C and was independent of the surface treatments, whereas the second one increasing from 142 °C for the oxidised wafers surface to 167 °C for the aminosilane grafted on the silicon wafer. The substrate chemistry extent on the film network structure, the interfacial bonds and interactions are discussed. This work also illustrates the interest in using microthermal analysis to obtain relevant temperature glass transition of thin film at sub‐micrometre scale, strongly dependant of local structure and chemistry composition. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Different functionalization of the internal and external surfaces in mesoporous materials for biosensing applications using "click" chemistry

We report the use of copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC) to selectively functionalize the internal and external surfaces of mesoporous materials. Porous silicon rugate filters with narrow line width reflectivity peaks were employed to demonstrate this selective surface functionalization approach. Hydrosilylation of a dialkyne species, 1,8-nonadiyne, was performed to stabilize the freshly fabricated porous silicon rugate filters against oxidation and to allow for further chemical derivatization via "click" CuAAC reactions. The external surface was modified through CuAAC reactions performed in the absence of nitrogen-based Cu(I)-stabilizing species (i.e., ligand-free reactions). To subsequently modify the interior pore surface, stabilization of the Cu(I) catalyst was required. Optical reflectivity measurements, water contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to demonstrate the ability of the derivatization approach to selectively modify mesoporous materials with different surface chemistry on the exterior and interior surfaces. Furthermore, porous silicon rugate filters modified externally with the cell-adhesive peptide Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS) allowed for cell adhesion via formation of focal adhesion points. Results presented here demonstrate a general approach to selectively modify mesoporous silicon samples with potential applications for cell-based biosensing.     

Surface free energy of sulfur--revisited II. Samples solidified against different solid surfaces

The apparent surface free energy of yellow and orange samples of sulfur crystallized at the surface of gold, silicon, and Teflon and in air was evaluated from the advancing and receding contact angles of water. The samples were prepared by casting melted rhombic mineralogical specimen sulfur onto the surface of the above-noted solids. Yellow samples were obtained when just melted sulfur (ca. 120 degrees C) was cast onto the surfaces, and the orange ones, when the melted sulfur was heated longer to a higher temperature (ca. 160 degrees C) and then cast onto the surfaces. The obtained results show that the apparent surface free energy depends on which surface it crystallized. The greatest value is for the sample crystallized at the gold surface, which is 35% higher than that crystallized in air. Generally, the surface free energy of orange samples is slightly higher than that of yellow ones. It is believed that the differences in the energy result from changes in the packing and structural orientation of sulfur atoms on the surfaces.     

Porous silicon surfaces: a candidate substrate for reverse protein arrays in cancer biomarker detection

This paper introduces a new substrate for reverse-phase protein microarray applications based on macroporous silicon. A key feature of the microarray substrate is the vastly surface enlarging properties of the porous silicon, which simultaneously offers highly confined microarray spots. The proof of principle of the reverse array concept was demonstrated in the detection of different levels of cyclin E, a possible cancer biomarker candidate which regulates G1-S transition and correlates with poor prognosis in different types of human cancers. The substrate properties were studied performing analysis of total cyclin E expression in human colon cancer cell lines Hct116 and SW480. The absence of unspecific binding and good microarray quality was demonstrated. In order to verify the performance of the 3-D textured macroporous surface for complex biological samples, lysates of the human tissue spiked to different levels with cell extract overproducing cyclin E (Hct116) were arrayed on the chip surface. The samples were spotted in a noncontact mode in 100 pL droplets with spots sizes ranged between 50 and 70 mum and spot-to-spot center distances 100 mum, allowing microarray spot densities up to 14 000 spots per cm(2). The different sample types of increasing complexities did not have any impact on the spot intensities recorded and the protein spots showed good homogeneity and reproducibility over the recorded microarrays. The data demonstrate the potential use of macroporous silicon as a substrate for quantitative determination of a cancer biomarker cyclin E in tissue lysates.     

Study of Thin Polymeric Film Deposited by the PECVD Process for use at 193 nm

A plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) reactor was used to deposit thin polymeric films with high absorption at 193 nm. The reactor is suitable to deposit uniform and pinhole free thin polymeric films with conformality over 95%. Conformal films with thickness as low as 200 Å have been deposited on silicon, glass, and quartz substrates, as well as silicon oxide, silicon nitrate, and aluminum films. Deposited films had variations in thickness of 3 to 5% over an area of 8 inches in diameter. Thin films deposited on silicon substrates under varying levels of RF power were scanned using the AFM technique. The measurements show increasing surface roughness of the scanned samples as the RF power increases.     

Long-term deactivation of Pt/alumina catalyst by organosilicons in the total oxidation of hydrocarbons

The deactivation of a supported platinum catalyst by long-term exposure to hexamethyldisiloxane was investigated. Ethyl acetate containing several tenfold excess of organosilicon relative to the real application was fed to the reactor. Three sets of catalyst and the blank support were aged for 350, 650, and 1000 h. The ex situ activity measurements on the aged pellets showed that all samples were deactivated as they were exposed to hexamethyldisiloxane. Silicon species were found at the surfaces of both the catalyst and the blank support. The quantitative analysis of silicon loading showed a linear profile versus poison exposure time and axial position in the bed. The radial silicon distribution in an individual pellet revealed an eggshell distribution of silicon residues, which is an indication of a diffusion-limited mechanism of silicon deposition. The deactivation was attributed to deposition of thin layer of silicon residues, which blocks the surface sites. Published in Russian in Kinetika i Kataliz, 2006, Vol. 47, No. 6, pp. 918–928. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Self-assembled-monolayer-modified silicon substrate to enhance the sensitivity of peptide detection for AP-MALDI mass spectrometry

A self-assembled-monolayer-modified silicon substrate was successfully used to enhance the sensitivity of peptide detection for atmospheric pressure-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (AP-MALDI/MS). The effect of surface modification of silicon wafer samples with NH(2) and OH functional groups was investigated. In addition, solvent effects for the preparation of modified NH(2)-functionalized surfaces were examined. The sensitivities for the two peptides were significantly improved, increasing between 12 and 160 times, for bradykinin and gramicidin, respectively, on an NH(2)-modified silicon surface prepared in toluene, over that on a conventional gold substrate. The limits of detection (LODs) for bradykinin and gramicidin using the conventional gold substrate in AP-MALDI/MS experiments were > 0.011 microM and 110 microM, respectively. Using our SAM approach, the LODs for bradykinin and gramicidin in AP-MALDI/MS can be improved to 0.93 nM and 0.33 microM, respectively. This SAM approach for AP-MALDI/MS is simple and sensitive, and can be used for high-throughput analysis.     

The effect of the type of conductivity on the initiation and formation of pores in silicon during electrochemical etching

The effect of the type of Si conductivity on the initiation and formation of pores in silicon samples during electrochemical etching was studied. The difference between the pore formation processes in n- and p-conducting silicon was attributed to the properties and the nature of layers formed in the initial period of etching on the Si surface. A possible composition of the layers formed on the Si surface was proposed considering the chemistry of Si interaction with the etching agent.