Method of producing buried porous silicon-geramanium layers in monocrystalline silicon lattices

US5685946A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration · US

Inventors

• Robert W. Fathauer · Burbank, US
• Thomas George · Clinton, US
• Eric Jones · Los Angeles, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 15, 1995
• Grant date: Nov 11, 1997
• Expiry date: Feb 15, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10H20/826
• WIPO field: Micro-structural and nano-technology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Lattices of alternating layers of monocrystalline silicon and porous silicon-germanium have been produced. These single crystal lattices have been fabricated by epitaxial growth of Si and Si--Ge layers followed by patterning into mesa structures. The mesa structures are stain etched resulting in porosification of the Si--Ge layers with a minor amount of porosification of the monocrystalline Si layers. Thicker Si--Ge layers produced in a similar manner emitted visible light at room temperature.