Interaction of infrared radiation with free carriers in mesoporous silicon

Features of absorption and reflection of infrared radiation in the range 500–6000 cm−1 are investigated; these features are associated with free carriers in the layers of mesoporous Si (porosity, 60–70%) formed in single-crystal p-Si(100) wafers with a hole concentration of N p ≈1020 cm−3. It is found that the contribution of free holes to the optical parameters of the samples decreases as the porosity of the material increases and further falls when the samples are naturally oxidized in air. The experimental results are explained in the context of a model based on the Bruggeman effective medium approximation and the Drude classical theory with a correction for additional carrier scattering in silicon residues (nanocrystals). A comparison between the calculated and experimental dependences yields a hole concentration in nanocrystals of N p ≈1019 cm−3 for as-prepared layers and shows a reduction of N p when they are naturally oxidized.