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Silane plasme chemistry leading to the formation of nacocridtalline silicoparticles at room temperature and its applications.

Physico-Chimie des plasmas de silane pour la formation de nacocristaux de silicium a tempétature ambiante : application à des dispositifs.

Abstract : Information technology has grown rapidly in the last few decades and is becoming one of the basic needs of humankind. As this technology grows, the demand for new materials to develop it also increases. So far, silicon is the main semiconductor material for electronic applications, while III-V semiconductors are the main materials for photonic applications. We readily find silicon integrated circuits (ICs) around us: in our cellular phones, personal computers, cars, home appliances, etc. For the further development of this technology, a material compatible with silicon microelectronics and suitable optoelectronic properties would play an important role. In particular, research should focus on a material which could be used for the next generation of photon emitters and could be integrated directly into an IC. Indeed, it is well-known that due to its indirect band-gap structure, bulk silicon is an extremely inefficient photon emitter. Therefore, scientists have turned their interests to other more complex and expensive semiconductor materials such as GaAs (gallium arsenide), InP (indium phosphide), GaP (gallium phosphide), etc. Even though these materials have allowed the realization of laser diodes, they cannot be easily associated with silicon integrated circuits. They are incompatible because the two materials have different crystal lattice constants, a socalled lattice mismatch. Another type of materials, which also give good luminescent efficiency are organic materials. In this case, one does not encounter the lattice mismatch problem due to their amorphous structure, but their processing into devices is not always compatible with microelectronics industry standards. Moreover, the stability of these materials is quite low compared to their inorganic counterparts.