Therefore, if

well-spaced metal nanoparticles are used as a catalyst, pores can be etched. If a metal film with an array of openings is deposited, the substrate beneath the metal is etched with the unetched Si beneath the openings being left as nanowires with roughly the same size as the openings. The purposes of this report are to demonstrate that the mechanism proposed in the literature to explain both galvanic NU7026 solubility dmso and metal-assisted etching is incorrect and to propose a new one on the basis of an understanding of the band structure of the system. The mechanism proposed in the literature [7, 12, 13] to explain galvanic and metal-assisted etching is analogous to stain etching. Selleck VX-661 In stain etching, a hole is injected directly into the Si valence band wherever the oxidant collides with the surface. Direct measurements of etch rates and comparison to Marcus theory demonstrated [5] that each hole injected is used to etch one Si atom. Because of the random nature of oxidant/surface HER2 inhibitor collisions, optimized stain etching produces thin films of porous Si (por-Si) with randomized pores but uniform lateral porosity (porosity gradients from top to bottom of the film are observed for thick films). In contrast, metal-assisted etching is concentrated on the region of the metal/Si interface. There are, however, several problems with the literature model of

metal-assisted etching. First, as shown in many reports [7, 8], the pore left by the etch track of a metal nanoparticle is usually surrounded by a microporous region. Within the literature model, this is ascribed to holes diffusing into the Si away from the metal. Second, if holes are produced at the metal/Si interface – which lies at the bottom of the metal nanoparticle not exposed to the solution – how is the HF solution transported there to facilitate Unoprostone etching? Third,

why does the hole leave the metal since the Fermi level lies above the bulk Si valence band? The transport of holes is determined by the band structure of the metal/Si interface. Hot holes injected far below E F will relax to E F in less than a femtosecond. At the Fermi velocity, this means that they can travel no more than a few nanometers before they cool to the top of the band. In any case, according to Marcus theory, the majority of holes are injected at E F. Thus, we need not consider hot hole transport. Below, we will show that an approximate calculation of the electronic structure at the metal/Si interface using the Schottky-Mott relationships [14, 15] does not support the idea of hole diffusion away from the metal/Si interface. Instead, the charge stays on the metal nanoparticle, which generates an electric field. The charged metal then effectively acts like a localized power supply that induces anodic etching.