Improvement of photoluminescence and electrical properties of porous silicon layer treated with lanthanum

Abstract The influence of surface treatment of porous silicon (PS) in lanthanum (La) containing solution during different times on its photoluminescence and electrical properties has been investigated. For this purpose, chemical composition, structural, vibrational, photoluminescence and electrical characteristics of the porous silicon layer with and without lanthanum were examined using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and current–voltage ( I – V ) measurements. The results indicate that porous silicon layers treated with lanthanum exhibit an enhancement of photoluminescence intensity and show an improvement current intensity compared to untreated porous silicon layer.