From undulating Si quantum wires to Si quantum dots: A model for porous silicon

Freshly etched porous silicon shows the structure of a crystalline silicon skeleton with a connected undulating-wire morphology; in aged porous silico n samples the presence of Si dots is predominant. In this paper we present, for the first time, ab-initio results of the electronic and optical proper ties of undulating Si quantum wires, moreover, the transition from Si quant um wires to Si quantum dots is also discussed.