Porous silicon for micro-sized fuel cell reformer units

Randomly, self-organized and ordered anodically etched porous silicon with pore sizes down to hundred nanometers have been fabricated for a variety of automotive applications which range from carrier structures in fuel cell technology up to shower heads for fuel injection in combustion engines. The porous wafers are produced by deep anodic etching which is a very effective and cheap fabrication method compatible to standard Si CMOS fabrication technology. The density of nano- (and micro-) pores can be varied in a wide range by choice of substrate doping level and appropriate electrolyte solution. Surface enlargement up to a factor of 1000 can be achieved [J. Electrochem. Soc. 149 (1) (2002) G70]. After deposition of a catalyst on the inner surface of the pores these structures can be used as an effective catalytic reaction area for the injected hydrocarbons in a micro-steam reformer unit with a small reaction volume. In addition deep anodic etching (DAE) of a pinhole array with very high aspect ratios is demonstrated using a pre-patterned inverted pyramidal array which is produced by lithography and subsequent wet chemical potassium hydroxide (KOH) etch. The structures can also be used as carrier structures for the hydrogen separation membrane of the reforming gas in a reformer unit when a thin layer of palladium is evaporated prior to the anodic etching of the pores. The noble metal foil serves as anode contact during the etch as well as hydrogen separating membrane of the device.