OICC Press International Nano Letters 2228-5326 3 1 (December 2013) 2013 03 05 Effect of Nd:YAG laser irradiation on the characteristics of porous silicon photodetector 10.1186/2228-5326-3-11 EN Raid A Ismail Applied Science Department, University of Technology, Baghdad, IQ Marwa K Abood Applied Science Department, University of Technology, Baghdad, IQ Journal Article 2013 03 05 Abstract Electrical and photoresponse properties of a Al/porous silicon/crystalline silicon/Al structure (Al/PSi/Si/Al) are investigated under irradiation of Nd:YAG laser pulses. The effect of Nd-YAG laser irradiation on the morphological and structural properties of a porous silicon layer is also demonstrated. The porous Si layer is synthesized on a single crystalline p-type Si using electrochemical etching in aqueous hydrofluoric acid at a current density of 20 mA/cm 2 for a 40-min etching time. The structure of the porous layer is investigated using atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy. The electrical properties and photodetector figures of merit (responsivity, detectivity, and carrier lifetime) are found to be dependent on the laser fluence.