Phonon processes in vertically aligned silicon nanowire arrays produced by low-cost all-solution galvanic displacement method

Abstract

The nanoscale engineering of silicon can significantly change its bulk optoelectronic properties to make it more favorable for device integration. Phonon process engineering is one way to enhance inter-band transitions in silicon's indirect band structure alignment. This paper demonstrates phonon localization at the tip of silicon nanowires fabricated by galvanic displacement using wet electroless chemical etching of a bulk silicon wafer. High-resolution Raman micro-spectroscopy reveals that such arrayed structures of silicon nanowires display phonon localization behaviors, which could help their integration into the future generations of nano-engineered silicon nanowire-based devices such as photodetectors and solar cells.