Electrodeposition of Semiconductors in Ionic Liquids

Natalia Borisenko, SherifZein El Abedin, and Frank Endres 

In this chapter we report on the electrodeposition of semiconductors in ionic liquids. It is shown that ionic liquids are, due to their extraordinary physicochemical properties, well suited as a solvent medium for the electrodeposition of elemental semiconductors (like Si and Ge), their mixtures (Si Gei %) and compound semiconductors (GaAs, AlSb, InSb, ZnTe, CdTe, CuInSe2, etc.). 

Electrochemical deposition is one of the main fields in electrochemistry, both in industrial processes and in fundamental research. It has been applied to make 

Electrodepositionfrom Ionic Liquids. Edited by F. Endres, D. MacFarlane, A. Abbott Copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim ISBN 978-3-527-31565-9 

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In this chapter we have summarized selected literature data on the electrodeposition of semiconductors in ionic liquids. It has been demonstrated that elemental silicon, germanium, and selenium can be elecrodeposited in ionic liquids. Furthermore, it is shown that compound semiconductors like InSb, AlSb, CdTe and others can be made, especially at elevated temperatures where kinetic barriers are easier to overcome, even allowing the exclusive electrodeposition of grey selenium. In this context ionic liquids are very promising for semiconductor electrodeposition. Both wide electrochemical and thermal windows allow processes which are impossible in aqueous or organic solvents. 

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