Mechanical strength of porous silicon and its possible applications

Porous silicon has various fields of application. Its electrical and optical properties are under study since many years, and it is also known that porosity has a considerable effect on the mechanical properties (i.e. hardness, compressive strength, elasticity, breaking strength). In the present paper a novel technique for preparing samples of porous silicon in order to measure the breaking strength of PS is presented. The technique is based on wet corrosion deposition of copper and creating a meniscus shaped porous silicon. Results of the measurements of PS with different porosity and structure of pores made on p+ and n+ material are presented. Possible applications of the data are discussed. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.