Achieving Molecular Level Control over the Chemical, Electrochemical, and Electrical Properties of Crystalline Si Surfaces

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Professor Nathan Lewis of the California Institute of Technology is funded by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program for studies leading to better control of the electrical and physical properties of silicon-based materials and devices through an emphasis on silicon surface chemistry. The projects include chemical and electrical passivation reactions on single crystal silicon surfaces, charge transport behavior of structures obtained from mesoporous silicon photoelectrodes, as well as characterization of silicon-based nanotubes and nanospheres, and formation of organic/inorganic composites. Chemical modification of silicon surfaces is important in interfacing molecular electronics to semiconductor-based circuitry and developing chemical sensors, optoelectronic devices and photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical cells. Perhaps surface modification can fool inexpensive polycrystalline silicon samples into having electrical and physical properties of the more expensive large single crystals currently used.