Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
other material has this advantage and accordingly none has been characterized to the
same levels of details as silicon. In this, silicon is truly a model material, by which new
phenomena and science are explored.
The complexity of the system implies that many phenomena are not directly
explainable by the basic theories of semiconductor electrochemistry. The basic theo-
ries are developed for idealized situations, but the electrode behavior of a specific
system is almost always deviated from the idealized situations in many different ways.
Also, the complex details of each phenomenon are associated with all the processes at
the silicon/electrolyte interface from a macro scale to the atomic scale such that the
rich details are lost when simplifications are made in developing theories. Additionally,
most theories are developed based on the data that are from a limited domain in the
multidimensional space of numerous variables. As a result, in general such theories are
valid only within this domain of the variable space but are inconsistent with the data
outside this domain. In fact, the specific theories developed by different research groups
on the various phenomena of silicon electrodes are often inconsistent with each other.
In this respect, this topic had the opportunity to have the space and scope to assemble
the data and to review the discrete theories in a global perspective. In a number of cases,
this exercise resulted in more complete physical schemes for the mechanisms of the
electrode phenomena, such as current oscillation, growth of anodic oxide, anisotropic
etching, and formation of porous silicon.
