Electronic band structure and optical properties of silicon nanoporous pillar array

Silicon nanoporous pillar array (Si-NPA) is fabricated by hydrothermally etching single crystal silicon (c-Si) wafers in hydrofluoric acid containing ferric nitrate. Microstructure studies disclosed that it is a typical micron/nanometer structural composite system with clear hierarchical structures. The optical parameters of Si-NPA were calculated by general light-absorption theory and Kramers–Kronig relations based on the experimental data of reflectance and the variations compared with the counterparts of c-Si were analyzed. The features of the electronic band structure deduced from the optical measurements strongly indicate that Si-NPA material is a direct-band-gap semiconductor and possesses separated conduction sub-bands which accords with conduction band splitting caused by silicon nanocrystallites several nanometers in size. All these electronic and optical results are due to the quantum confinement effect of the carriers in silicon nanocrystallites.