  Physical properties of black Silicon (b-Si) formed on Si wafers by reactive
ion etching in chlorine plasma are reported in an attempt to clarify the
formation mechanism and the origin of the observed optical and electrical
phenomena which are promising for a variety of applications. The b-Si
consisting of high density and high aspect ratio sub-micron length whiskers or
pillars with tip diameters of well under 3 nm exhibits strong photoluminescence
(PL) both in visible and infrared, which are interpreted in conjunction with
defects, confinement effects and near band-edge emission. Structural analysis
indicate that the whiskers are all crystalline and encapsulated by a thin Si
oxide layer. Infrared vibrational spectrum of Si-O-Si bondings in terms of
transverse-optic (TO) and longitudinal-optic (LO) phonons indicates that
disorder induced LO-TO optical mode coupling can be an effective tool in
assessing structural quality of the b-Si. The same phonons are likely coupled
to electrons in visible region PL transitions. Field emission properties of
these nanoscopic features are demonstrated indicating the influence of the tip
shape on the emission. Overall properties are discussed in terms of surface
morphology of the nano whiskers.
