Photoluminescence imaging of porous silicon using a confocal scanning laser macroscope/microscope

This letter describes a confocal scanning beam macroscope/microscope that can image specimens up to 7 cm in diameter using both photoluminescence and reflected light. The macroscope generates digital images (512×512 pixels) with a maximum 5 μm lateral resolution and 200 μm axial resolution in under 5 s, and in combination with a conventional confocal scanning laser microscope can provide quality control at a macroscopic/microscopic level for porous silicon specimens, wafers, detectors, and similar devices. This combination of instruments can also be used as a method for evaluating preparation parameters involved in the manufacture of porous silicon. Various confocal and nonconfocal photoluminescence and reflected‐light images of porous silicon are shown using both a macroscope and a conventional confocal scanning laser microscope. A 3D profile of a porous silicon structure reconstructed from confocal slices is also shown.