Sensing properties of oxidized nanostructured silicon surface on vaporized molecules

Abstract

Porous silicon has been intensely studied for the past several decades and its applications were found in photovoltaics, biomedicine, and sensors. An important aspect for sensing devices is their long–term stability. One of the more prominent changes that occur with porous silicon as it is exposed to atmosphere is oxidation. In this work we study the influence of oxidation on the sensing properties of porous silicon. Porous silicon layers were prepared by electrochemical etching and oxidized in a tube furnace. We observed that electrical resistance of oxidized samples rises in response to the increasing ambient concentration of organic vapours and ammonia gas. Furthermore, we note the sensitivity is dependent on the oxygen treatment of the porous layer. This indicates that porous silicon has a potential use in sensing of organic vapours and ammonia gas when covered with an oxide layer.