ABSTRACT
Silicon is mankind’s most important and viable semiconductor, not only enabling powerful analog and digital electronics, but also cost-efficient optoelectronic light sources and sensors. Besides that, silicon is by far the most-used material for the fabrication of solar cells, being responsible for the tremendous learning curve in industrial photovoltaic (PV) production and accounting for more than 90% market share in the PV market (ITRPV 2016). Moreover, silicon is a widespread optical material in the field of infrared optics. Here, it is most frequently used in the short- to mid-wavelength infrared range (SWIR to MIR, 2–6 µm wavelength) since it offers low cost, weight, and dispersion, as well as excellent structural quality and chemical stability (Rogalski 2002).
