POROUS SILICON - THEORETICAL-STUDIES

Porous silicon has attracted considerable scientific interest ever sin ce the recent discovery of visible photoluminescence. We present a rev iew of the theoretical work done on this material, We describe the cla ssical theories and computer simulations of the growth of this brittle , spongy structure. The electronic structure calculations based on fir st principles local density approximation as well as semi-empirical me thodologies are outlined. Phenomenological models for photoluminescenc e, its broad lineshape, decay and temperature dependence and excitonic effects on optical behavior are reviewed. Rudimentary theories of ele ctroluminescence, transport and quantum efficiency are also described. A unified, consistent theoretical framework appears to be a distant g oal. Broad suggestions for further theoretical work are outlined.