Photoanodic behavior of vapor-liquid-solid–grown, lightly doped, crystalline Si microwire arrays

Arrays of n-Si microwires have to date exhibited low efficiencies when measured as photoanodes in contact with a 1-1′-dimethylferrocene (Me_2Fc^(+/0))–CH_3OH solution. Using high-purity Au or Cu catalysts, arrays of crystalline Si microwires were grown by a vapor-liquid-solid process without dopants, which produced wires with electronically active dopant concentrations of 1 × 10^(13) cm^(−3). When measured as photoanodes in contact with a Me_2Fc^(+/0)–CH_3OH solution, the lightly doped Si microwire arrays exhibited greatly increased fill factors and efficiencies as compared to n-Si microwires grown previously with a lower purity Au catalyst. In particular, the Cu-catalyzed Si microwire array photoanodes exhibited open-circuit voltages of ~0.44 V, carrier-collection efficiencies exceeding ~0.75, and an energy-conversion efficiency of 1.4% under simulated air mass 1.5 G illumination. Lightly doped Cu-catalyzed Si microwire array photoanodes have thus demonstrated performance that is comparable to that of optimally doped p-type Si microwire array photocathodes in photoelectrochemical cells.