Abstract

Form birefringence induced in the initially isotropic material by arrays of anisotropic nanoinclusions opens exciting new opportunities to modify optical properties of materials. Pores formed in crystalline silicon (c-Si) during its electrochemical etching are directed preferentially along the certain crystallographic directions, which results in a strong optical anisotropy of the porous silicon (PS) [1]. PS is a promising material for the variety of polarization and nonlinear- optical devices [2], However, the absorption in the visible range of the spectrum and slow aging of PS structures in air limit the scope of their potential applications. Thermal oxidation of PS removes these limitations since oxidized porous silicon (OPS) composed of silicon oxide nanoclusters is transparent in the visible and the near-infrared spectral range and is significantly more stable in air atmosphere.

© 2007 IEEE