A New Nanoporous Material Based on Amorphous Silicon Dioxide

Processes for making nanoporous SiO2 layers on Si via the irradiation of thermally oxidized silicon wafers with fast ions followed by chemical treatment in a solution or vapor of hydrofluoric acid are presented. It is shown that the density, shape, diameter, and length to diameter ratio of channels etched in silicon dioxide can be controlled by varying the regimes of fast ion irradiation or chemical treatment of SiO2/Si structures. Track parameters calculated using the thermal spike model are compared with the chemical etching data