Is Silicon Transparent to Infrared Light?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

Silicon is not 100% transparent to infrared (IR) light; its transmission is typically below 60%, with some absorption, refraction, and reflection occurring. The transparency of silicon to IR light is comparable to that of glass for optical wavelengths, but it varies based on specific conditions and the thickness of the material. Reference materials, including a paper from Virginia Semiconductor and various optical property resources, provide detailed insights into silicon's optical characteristics.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of optical properties of materials
  • Familiarity with infrared light and its applications
  • Basic knowledge of silicon as a semiconductor
  • Awareness of concepts like absorption, refraction, and reflection
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the optical properties of silicon using the paper from Virginia Semiconductor
  • Explore the transmission characteristics of other materials like ZnSe
  • Learn about the applications of silicon in mask aligners with IR illumination
  • Investigate the impact of temperature on the transparency of silicon to IR light
USEFUL FOR

Researchers, optical engineers, and materials scientists interested in the optical properties of silicon and its applications in infrared technologies.

rr00053
Messages
37
Reaction score
0
hi everyone...

i have got a general doubt...I have heard that silicon is transparent to
infrared...so does that mean that any IR wave entering silicon comes out of it without any change? Is silicon 100% transparent to IR? does the transparency depend on temperature or any other parametre?

Can anyone give me some reference material, suggest some books or some links where i can get data about silicon transparency?

please hep me...
thanks in advance...
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Well, it's about the same as, for instance, glass for optical wavelengths. It looks more or less transparent, and the transmission is in the high 90s, but there is some (small) absorption and some refraction and a small bit of reflection. There's a mask aligner in the place I work at that uses backside IR illumination so you can align masks to features already present on the silicon. Haven't used it myself, however.

Here's a paper from Virginia Semiconductor (they make custom silicon)--this is targeted mostly to researchers, and it may be difficult to understand without some optics background:
http://www.virginiasemi.com/pdf/Optical%20Properties%20of%20Silicon71502.pdf
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi matlabdude,
thanku very much for the response and the reference u gave...taking a quick look at the data u gave and the data andy resnick gave...the maximum transmission seems jus below 60%. however u pointed out tat transmission is at high 90's ...
anyway thanyou for the data you gave...
 
HI andy resnick,
thanku for the valuable links...
 
rr00053 said:
Hi matlabdude,
thanku very much for the response and the reference u gave...taking a quick look at the data u gave and the data andy resnick gave...the maximum transmission seems jus below 60%. however u pointed out tat transmission is at high 90's ...
anyway thanyou for the data you gave...

High 90s is visible light through a thin piece of glass (I was laying down the groundwork in case you didn't have any background)
 

Similar threads

Graduate Photons through transparent materials, what's going on?
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
8K
High School How does lattice vibration affect electron mobility in semiconductor?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Search for specific near infrared transparent materials
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
Undergrad Radiative and Nonradiative Transitions
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K
Graduate What do the peaks in the reflectance spectrum of silicon samples represent?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
High School If you raise the electron to other higher shell states, can it affect light transmission?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
How does reflective photoelasticity work on transparent glass?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Undergrad How is IR ink able to be seen with specialized filters?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Chemical/Paint Best transparent material that allows infrared to pass through?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
5K
Undergrad Can UV Light Be Converted into Visible Light?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K