Computational design of silicon-based direct-band gap nanostructure: Silicon nanonet

Abstract

We design a netlike nanostructure to truncate silicon to direct-band gap semiconductor by means of ab initio calculation. The local density approximation results show that the silicon-based nanonet has an adjustable band gap and controllable indirect-direct transition via different nanopore array designs. The indirect-direct transition is caused not only by the porosity and nanoscale wall width but also by the pore array distribution. The excellent matching characteristic with bulklike silicon makes this nanostructure promising for practical light sources on silicon chip. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.