Electrical and Gas Sensing Properties of por-Si/SnOx Nanocomposite Layers

The electrical characteristics and chemical reactant sensitivity of layers of heterogeneous nanocomposites based on porous silicon and nonstoichiometric tin oxide por-Si/SnOx, fabricated by the magnetron sputtering of tin with subsequent oxidation, are studied. It is shown that, in the nanocomposite layers, a system of distributed heterojunctions (Si/SnOx nanocrystals) forms, which determine the electrical characteristics of such structures. The sensitivity of test sensor structures based on por-Si/SnOx nanocomposites to NO2 is determined. A mechanism for the effect of the adsorption of NO2 molecules on the current-voltage characteristics of the por-Si(p)/SnOx(n) heterojunctions is suggested.