Electrochemistry of Silicon and Its Oxide, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2004

It may be argued that silicon, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and iron are among the most important elements on our planet, because of their involvement in geological, biol- ical, and technological processes and phenomena. All of these elements have been studied exhaustively, and voluminous material is available on their properties. Included in this material are numerous accounts of their electrochemical properties, ranging from reviews to extensive monographs to encyclopedic discourses. This is certainly true for C, H, O, and Fe, but it is true to a much lesser extent for Si, except for the specific topic of semiconductor electrochemistry. Indeed, given the importance of the elect- chemical processing of silicon and the use of silicon in electrochemical devices (e. g. , sensors and photoelectrochemical cells), the lack of a comprehensive account of the electrochemistry of silicon in aqueous solution at the fundamental level is surprising and somewhat troubling. It is troubling in the sense that the non-photoelectrochemistry of silicon seems ?to have fallen through the cracks,? with the result that some of the electrochemical properties of this element are not as well known as might be warranted by its importance in a modern technological society. Dr. Zhang?s book, Electrochemical Properties of Silicon and Its Oxide, will go a long way toward addressing this shortcoming. As with his earlier book on the elect- chemistry of zinc, the present book provides a comprehensive account of the elect- chemistry of silicon in aqueous solution.

1: Basic Theories of Semiconductor Electrochemistry. 1.1. Introduction. 1.2. Energetics of Semiconductor/Electrolyte Interface. 1.3. Potential and Charge Distribution in Space Charge Layer. 1.4. Kinetics of Charge Transfer. 1.5. Photoeffects. 1.6. Open-Circuit Potential. 1.7. Experimental Techniques. 2: Silicon/Electrolyte Interface. 2.1. Basic Properties of Silicon. 2.2. Thermodynamic Stability in Aqueous Solutions. 2.3. Surface Adsorption. 2.4. Native Oxide. 2.5. Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Surfaces. 2.6. Surface States. 2.7. Flatband Potentials. 2.8. Open-Circuit Potentials. 3: Anodic Oxide. 3.1. Introduction. 3.2. Types of Oxides. 3.3. Formation of Anodic Oxides. 3.4. Growth Mechanisms. 3.5. Properties. 4: Etching of Oxides. 4.1. Introduction. 4.2. General. 4.3. Thermal Oxide. 4.4. Quartz and Fused Silica. 4.5. Deposited Oxides. 4.6. Anodic Oxides. 4.7. Etching Mechanisms. 5: Anodic Behavior. 5.1. Introduction. 5.2. Current-Potential Relationship. 5.3. Photoeffect. 5.4. Effective Dissolution Valence. 5.5. Hydrogen Evolution. 5.6. Limiting Current. 5.7. Impedance of Interface Layers. 5.8. Tafel Slope and Distribution of Potential. 5.9. Passivation. 5.10. Current Oscillation. 5.11. Participation of Bands and Rate-Limiting Processes. 5.12. Reaction Mechanisms. 6: Cathodic Behavior and Redox Couples. 6.1. Introduction. 6.2. Hydrogen Evolution. 6.3. Metal Deposition. 6.4. Deposition of Silicon. 6.5. Redox Couples. 6.6. Open-Circuit Photovoltage. 6.7. Surface Modification. 7: Etching of Silicon. 7.1. Introduction. 7.2. General. 7.3. Fluoride Solutions. 7.4. Alkaline Solutions. 7.5. Etch Rate Reduction of Heavily Doped Materials. 7.6. Anisotropic Etching. 7.7. Surface Roughness. 7.8. Applications. 8: Porous Silicon. 8.1. Introduction. 8.2. Formation of Porous Silicon. 8.3. Morphology. 8.4. PS Formed at OCP. 8.5. PS Formed under Special Conditions. 8.6. Formation Mechanisms. 8.7. Properties and Applications. 9: Summaries and General Remarks. 9.1. Complexity. 9.2. Surface Condition. 9.3. Oxide Film. 9.4. Sensitivity to Curvature. 9.5. Sensitivity to Lattice Structure. 9.6. Relativity. 9.7. Future Research Interests.