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May 14, 2010 September 9, 2026

Porous silicon microspheres: synthesis, characterization and application to photonic microcavities - Notes

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Journal of Materials Chemistry · Journal article · 14 May 2010

R. Fenollosa, F. Ramiro-Manzano, M. Tymczenko and F. Meseguer

Journal of Materials Chemistry

Volume 20

Pages 5210-5214

2010

Published abstract

Porous silicon microspheres have been synthesized by chemical vapour deposition of disilane gas. Their spectral signatures are similar to those of electrochemically grown porous silicon, in particular they yield photoluminescence and they show an oxidation behaviour upon their exposure to the open air. The particles are highly spherical and poly-disperse in size with diameters of approximately 0.5 to 5 micrometres, and they have a very smooth surface. Because of these reasons they work as optical microcavities with well defined resonating Mie modes. These modes have been identified in the near-infrared range. They blue-shift considerably whenever the microspheres are in contact with air because of the aforementioned oxidation process.

Figures

Figure 1. Optical microscopy and SEM images of porous silicon microspheres
Figure 1. Summary. The optical micrographs compare silicon particles obtained at different disilane decomposition times. Shorter growth produces porous microspheres that scatter yellow, orange and red light, whereas the longer-grown hydrogenated amorphous silicon spheres appear black because silicon absorbs visible light. The close view of an individual particle and the electron micrograph confirm the micrometre-scale spherical morphology needed for the particles to operate as optical microcavities.

From R. Fenollosa et al., J. Mater. Chem. 20, 5210-5214 (2010), DOI 10.1039/C0JM00079E. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010. Reproduced by an author with acknowledgement.

Absorbance and photoluminescence spectra of porous silicon microspheres
Figure 2. Summary. Spectral signatures of porous silicon microspheres. (a) Mid-infrared optical absorbance spectra after exposure to open air for several minutes, 2 h and 120 h.

From R. Fenollosa et al., J. Mater. Chem. 20, 5210-5214 (2010), DOI 10.1039/C0JM00079E. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010. Reproduced by an author with acknowledgement.

Figure 3. TEM and HRTEM images of crushed porous silicon microspheres
Figure 3. Summary. (a) TEM and (b) HRTEM images of crushed porous silicon microspheres. White boundaries surrounding darker areas of about 10 nm correspond to pores.

From R. Fenollosa et al., J. Mater. Chem. 20, 5210-5214 (2010), DOI 10.1039/C0JM00079E. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010. Reproduced by an author with acknowledgement.

Figure 4. Optical transmittance spectra and oxidation-induced resonance shift
Figure 4. Summary. (a) Optical transmittance spectra illustrating the blue shift of resonating modes after exposure to open air. (b) Experimental mode position versus exposure time for the mode marked by the grey strip in (a); the inset shows the derivative of the experimental data.

From R. Fenollosa et al., J. Mater. Chem. 20, 5210-5214 (2010), DOI 10.1039/C0JM00079E. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010. Reproduced by an author with acknowledgement.

How to cite

Article access and reuse

The subscription Version of Record is not hosted here. RSC states that an author may reproduce figures and diagrams from their own article without requesting permission when correct acknowledgement is given. The figures below are the original compositions extracted from the article PDF and carry full source acknowledgement.

Related publications

Connections within F. Ramiro-Manzano's publication record, selected from shared research topics and evidence reviewed in the source papers.

Protocol Exchange
Protocol
Protocol Exchange (2013)
Processing and Characterization of Monodisperse Silicon Colloids
L. Shi, X. Lu, R. Fenollosa, I. Rodriguez, J. T. Harris, F. Ramiro-Manzano, B. A. Korgel and F. Meseguer

What the related paper adds

This later paper extends the research direction developed in Porous silicon microspheres: synthesis, characterization and application to photonic microcavities. This protocol makes the silicon-colloid platform reproducible at smaller and more uniform sizes. It describes how to fabricate monodisperse spheres in the 300 to 500 nanometre range and how to characterize individual particles with a purpose-built confocal microscope, linking controlled processing to well-resolved electric and magnetic Mie modes.

What this paper adds to the related work

This paper provides an earlier basis for the later development reported in Processing and Characterization of Monodisperse Silicon Colloids. This article consolidates how amorphous, polycrystalline and porous silicon colloids are synthesized and compares their cavity behaviour. Its central advance is to connect porous-silicon luminescence with the resonant modes of a single sphere, explaining the origin and practical reading of the photonic-barcode spectrum.

Featured image for Porous Silicon Microcavities: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application to Photonic Barcode Devices
Journal article
Nanoscale Res. Lett. 7(1), 497 (2012)
Porous Silicon Microcavities: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application to Photonic Barcode Devices
F. Ramiro-Manzano, R. Fenollosa, E. Xifré-Pérez, M. Garín and F. Meseguer

What the related paper adds

This later paper extends the research direction developed in Porous silicon microspheres: synthesis, characterization and application to photonic microcavities. This chapter expands the porous-silicon microcavity and barcode concept into a connected account of synthesis, structural characterization and optical response. It provides the processing and interpretation context needed to understand why a spherical porous particle can combine material luminescence with a reproducible resonant signature.

What this paper adds to the related work

This paper provides an earlier basis for the later development reported in Porous Silicon Microcavities: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application to Photonic Barcode Devices. This article consolidates how amorphous, polycrystalline and porous silicon colloids are synthesized and compares their cavity behaviour. Its central advance is to connect porous-silicon luminescence with the resonant modes of a single sphere, explaining the origin and practical reading of the photonic-barcode spectrum.

Complete original Figure 2 composition extracted directly from the article PDF
Journal article
J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011)
Silicon colloids: A new enabling nanomaterial
F. Meseguer, R. Fenollosa, I. Rodriguez, E. Xifre-Perez, F. Ramiro-Manzano, M. Garin and M. Tymczenko

What the related paper adds

This later paper extends the research direction developed in Porous silicon microspheres: synthesis, characterization and application to photonic microcavities. This paper defines silicon colloids as a material platform rather than a single device. It surveys polycrystalline, amorphous and porous spherical particles, explains their strong low-order Mie resonances and infrared light confinement, and opens applications ranging from optical filtering to light-controlled forces between particles.

What this paper adds to the related work

This paper provides an earlier basis for the later development reported in Silicon colloids: A new enabling nanomaterial. This article consolidates how amorphous, polycrystalline and porous silicon colloids are synthesized and compares their cavity behaviour. Its central advance is to connect porous-silicon luminescence with the resonant modes of a single sphere, explaining the origin and practical reading of the photonic-barcode spectrum.

Four optical microscopy images of porous silicon microspheres showing different scattered colours
Journal article
Adv. Mater. 23, 3022-3025 (2011)
Porous Silicon Microcavities Based Photonic Barcodes
F. Ramiro-Manzano, R. Fenollosa, E. Xifré-Pérez, M. Garín and F. Meseguer

What the related paper adds

This later paper extends the research direction developed in Porous silicon microspheres: synthesis, characterization and application to photonic microcavities. This work introduces an optical encoding scheme based on individual porous silicon microspheres. Their intrinsic photoluminescence is reshaped by narrow cavity resonances into a spectral fingerprint, so each biocompatible particle can act as its own photonic barcode for prospective sensing, biological and medical applications.

What this paper adds to the related work

This paper provides an earlier basis for the later development reported in Porous Silicon Microcavities Based Photonic Barcodes. This article consolidates how amorphous, polycrystalline and porous silicon colloids are synthesized and compares their cavity behaviour. Its central advance is to connect porous-silicon luminescence with the resonant modes of a single sphere, explaining the origin and practical reading of the photonic-barcode spectrum.

Research fields

Bottom-up

Controlled disilane decomposition forms micrometre-scale porous silicon spheres with smooth surfaces and intrinsic photoluminescence. Processing time and subsequent oxidation tune porosity and composition while the spherical boundary supplies cavity confinement.

Simulations & fits

Mie-mode analysis assigns the resonances in single-particle transmission and relates their spectral displacement to effective refractive-index changes. This turns oxidation-induced blue shifts into a sensitive probe of the evolving porous sphere.

Characterization

Optical and electron microscopy, mid-infrared absorption, transmission and photoluminescence characterize morphology, silicon-hydride chemistry and cavity response. Correlating these measurements shows how an emitting porous material and a resonator coexist in one particle.

RESEARCH TOPICS

EmissionFigure 2 compares their mid-infrared signatures and PL, establishing that they share optical characteristics with electrochemically etched porous silicon despite being free spherical particles. This simultaneous scattering and emission makes the material self-reporting: no separate dye is needed to see the colloids or to interrogate their internal optical evolution.MaterialsShort disilane decomposition times of about 1 min 30-40 s produce highly porous, polydisperse silicon spheres. TEM and HRTEM in Figure 3 reveal a polycrystalline skeleton, although a rapidly formed amorphous oxide layer complicates direct lattice interpretation.ResonatorsNear-infrared transmission reveals well-defined Mie modes, demonstrating that even a porous and internally heterogeneous sphere can act as a photonic microcavity. The resonance positions therefore provide a sensitive, non-destructive readout of ageing inside the porous silicon framework.
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