ИСТИНА

Free charge carrier concentration in arrays of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with cross-sectional size of the order of 100 nm was quantitively studied by means of the infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection mode. SiNWs were formed on lightly-doped p-type crystalline silicon substrates by using metal-assisted chemical etching followed by additional doping through thermoactivated diffusion of boron at 900–1000 oC. The latter process was found to increas the concentration of free holes in SiNWs up to (1–3)•1019 cm-3. Potential applications of highly doped SiNWs in thermoelectric energy converters and infrared plasmonic devices are discussed.