Porous silicon membranes and their applications: Recent advances

Porous silicon (PSi) research has been active for several decades. The multiple properties and structural features of PSi have made it a promising material for a wide variety of applications, going from drug delivery to microelectronics. By removing the bulk silicon below a PSi layer and creating a membrane, a whole new set of physical and chemical characteristics as well as potential uses have been discovered. In this review, recent works on Porous silicon membranes (PSiMs) are analysed and summarised. An updated overview of the progress made in several areas is presented with the purpose of highlighting PSiM's potential. New methods for the fabrication and the integration of PSiMs have been developed, relying more and more on semiconductors microfabrication techniques. Likewise, the properties of PSiMs have been extensively studied, enabling the emergence of a multitude of PSiM-based systems. A critical analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of this material is made, with the emphasis on the integration challenges that PSiMs are facing for future industrialisation. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.