Characterization of the electrical properties of individual p-Si microwire/polymer/n-Si microwire assemblies

The electrical properties of individual p- and n-type silicon microwires have been investigated using a direct contact formation technique, in which an Ohmic contact between the tungsten probe and microwire was produced by applying mechanical force to the probe/microwire junction. This method alleviated the need for lithography or a high-temperature process to form a metal/Si ohmic contact. The technique was also used to characterize the Si microwire/conducting polymer junctions in a single cell of a membrane-supported bilayer Si microwire structure that is of interest for the direct production of fuels from sunlight. The data indicate that the combination of PEDOT-PSS-Nafion and highly doped Si microwires is suitable, from an electrical resistance perspective, to be used in a solar fuels generation device.