FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT HOPPING CONDUCTIVITY BETWEEN SILICON NANOCRYSTALLITES - APPLICATION TO POROUS SILICON

We show how it is possible to perform a full calculation of the freque ncy-dependent hopping conductivity of a disordered array of semiconduc tor crystallites once their statistical distribution is known. We firs t apply this to a weakly disordered distribution of silicon spheres co nnected by silicon bridges and show the importance of the topology in determining the activation energy characteristic of the temperature de pendence. We then use a model distribution to simulate the case of por ous silicon and from this get a coherent description of various relate d properties. Finally, we emphasize the applicability of the method to determine the hopping conductivity of artificially built semiconducto r nanostructures. [S0163-1829(98)01842-6].