Figure 10 Cross-sectional SEM images of double layer PSi annealed for 10 min with identical LPL but with different HPL porosities. ( a ) Lower porosity (HPL-1), ( b ) standard porosity (STDHPL), and ( c ) high porosity (HPL-2), showing the gradual disappearance of the inter-connection pillars in the HPL with increasing porosity. To conclude on the impact of annealing time on the PSi stack, the surface roughness of the seed layer was also analyzed for two double porous silicon layers with

LPL of 750- and 1,300-nm thickness. Figure 11 shows the RMS values of the LPL surfaces which vary slightly, and then show a sudden increase at Nocodazole research buy longer annealing selleck time for the thicker-LPL double stack. This observation may be understood in light of the fact that a longer annealing time results in formation of larger pores,

which coarsen at the very top surface of the seed. Accordingly, large valleys (holes) may appear sporadically on the surface, which results in a rougher surface. Figure 12 shows the derivative of the bearing area curve (BAC) for the larger scanned area of the thicker-LPL sample. It was observed that there is no significant change in RMS roughness values between smaller (20 × 20 μm2) and larger (100 × 100 μm2) scanned areas. However, the increase of the MI-503 non-symmetries of the graphs upon longer annealing times indicates an increase in the probability of the presence of holes. As the annealing time increases, the asymmetry of the curves is pushed toward the negative x-axis, which indicates the increased density of holes – as opposed to bumps – in the seed layer upon longer annealing. Figure 11 RMS values of the LPL surfaces of the annealed PSi double layer. RMS values of surface

roughness of the annealed double layer of PSi, with 750- and 1,300-nm thick LPL, as a function of annealing time (1, 5, 10 and 30 min). The roughness increases slightly from 1 to 10 min and becomes unstable for longer times. Figure 12 Derivative of BAC of PSi double layers with 1,300-nm-thick LPL annealed for 1, 5, 10 and 30 min. The asymmetries toward the negative x-axis increase as the annealing time increases. HAS1 This shows that the density of holes in the seed layer increases for long annealing times. To conclude, we can see that the evolution of strain and roughness with layer thickness and annealing time go in opposite directions. While reduction of strain calls for thicker double-PSi stacks and longer annealing times, roughness calls for thinner double-PSi stacks and shorter annealing times. Finding a trade-off between the two effects is therefore necessary. Conclusions In this work, we studied the impact of two factors on the quality of highly boron doped PSi double layers as epitaxy seed layers: strain and surface roughness.