Silicon Nanowires Light Emitting Devices at Room Temperature

Group-IV semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are attracting interest among the scientific community as building blocks for a wide range of future nanoscaled devices. Vapor-liquid-Solid (VLS) is the most used technique for semiconductor NWs growth. Si NWs are promising as building blocks for photovoltaic elements, sensors and high-performance batteries; however, Si NWs are less explored for photonic applications, probably since there are many drawbacks due to the NW structure obtained by VLS. In fact, there is a minimum obtainable size which reduces the possibility to have quantum confinement effects without high temperature oxidation processes; metal used as a catalyst may be incorporated inside the NW thus affecting its electrical and optical properties. Moreover, by VLS method the doping is no easily controllable because of the segregation of the dopants at the NWs interface. Indeed, the possibility of obtaining light from silicon at room temperature under optical and electrical pumping is strategic for the communication technology.