SBIR Phase I: Production of Silicon Nanoparticles by Electrochemical Etching of Silicon Wafers

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将重点开发生产高荧光半导体硅纳米粒子（量子点）的新型廉价技术。初步结果表明，硅晶片的横向刻蚀可用于连续生产高质量、低成本的纳米硅。该第一阶段计划旨在证明，通过优化制造工艺，更高的颗粒产量将满足潜在客户的更大数量需求。几家工业公司已经表达了对这种粒子的兴趣，但需要的数量远远超过现有系统的生产能力。通过优化现有颗粒系统的技术和化学方面，该项目将提高产量以满足客户需求，并评估系统的可重复性和可扩展性。在商业上，该项目将为扩大发光硅量子点的生产提供基础。它将允许生产荧光硅量子点，并将在纳米材料市场，特别是光子学设备中发挥重要作用。总的来说，这项建议的结果预计将对未来的纳米技术产生重大影响。原因是硅纳米粒子是未来纳米技术和研究中最理想的材料之一。它不仅会对技术产生巨大影响，因为它将为新工具提供大量材料；器件等，但它也将对我们在小尺寸上理解硅的性质有很大的影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will focus on the development of new and inexpensive techniques for production of highly fluorescent semiconductor siliconnanoparticles (quantum dots). Preliminary results indicate that lateral etching of silicon wafers can be used for the continuous production of high quality, inexpensive silicon nanoparticles. This Phase 1 program is intended to demonstrate that through optimization of the manufacturing process, a greater yield of particles will meet the larger quantities required by prospective customers. Several industrial companies have expressed an interest in the particles, but require much larger quantities than can be produced in the existing system. By optimizing the technical and chemical aspects of the existing particle system, the project will increase the yield to meet customer demand, and also evaluate the system's reproducibility and scalability. Commercially, this project will provide a basis for scaling up of luminescent silicon quantum dots production. It will allow for production of fluorescent silicon quantum dots and will play significant role in the market of nanomaterials, particularly for photonics devices. It is expected that, in general, the outcome of this proposal will have great impact on future nanotechnology. The reason is that silicon nanoparticles are among the most desired materials for future nanotechnology and research. It will not only have great impact on technology since it will provide a great amount of material for new tools; devices etc. but it also will have great effect on our understanding of silicon properties at small dimensions.