One- and two-phonon Raman scattering from hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films

One- and two-phonon Raman scattering from intrinsic and boron as well as phosphorus doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique were investigated. With regard to one-phonon Raman measurements of intrinsic films, redshifts attending by asymmetrical broadening of one-phonon transverse optical (TO) mode with diminishing mean dimension of Si nanocrystals can be ascribed to incorporating effects of phonon confinement and tensile strain. Photoluminescence behavior of these intrinsic specimens can be interpreted by a consistent way when recombination of quantum-confined excitons in Si nanocrystals is assumed. As to one-phonon Raman signals of doped nc-Si:H materials, besides joint effects of phonon confinement and tensile strain, additional redshifts accompanying with asymmetrical broadening of one-phonon TO band with increasing doping level can be assigned to carrier effect and disorder from doping. With diminishing average size of Si nanocrystals or increasing dopants, the decay of two-phonon Raman amplitudes of intrinsic and doped samples can be attributed to disorder. Raman experiments indicate that all the energies of the two-phonon TO branches are different from twice the energies of the one-phonon TO active bands, which reveal that the two-phonon TO modes do not come from the Raman active phonons at wavevector k=0. The peak shift of two-phonon transverse optical (2TO) modes relates to phonon confinement and disorder. Negligible peak shift in TO (2TO) modes of intrinsic and doped films on temperature indicates that the interface strain in nc-Si:H/c-Si can be ignored.     

Raman spectral analysis of TiO₂ thin films doped with rare-earth samarium

TiO₂ thin films doped with rare-earth samarium were prepared on a quartz plate by the sol-gel/spin-coating technique. The samples were annealed at 700?°C to 1100?°C, and the Raman spectra of the samples were obtained. Analyses of Raman spectra show that samarium doping can inhibit the anatase-rutile phase transition. Samarium doping can refine grains of TiO₂ thin films and increase the internal stress, thereby preventing lattice vibration. Nanocrystalline TiO₂ thin films obviously show the phonon confinement effect, i.e., the blueshift of characteristic Raman peak and full width at half-height increase, and the peak shapes asymmetrically broaden with a decrease in the grain sizes of the samples.     

Structural effect on intrinsic stress in nanocrystalline Si:H films

Intrinsic stress in nanocrystalline Si:H films which prepared by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique, was illustrated as a compressive stress by means of Raman scattering and radius of curvature measurement. The Raman signals can be well fitted by a model of strain-calibrated phonon confinement, where the sole effect of phonon confinement and Fano interference on Raman scattering was excluded, respectively. The ion bombardment effect on the origination of intrinsic stress in the PECVD films was discussed. The formation of nc-Si:H was explained by etching model in present experimental parameters’ range. The results infer that the intrinsic compressive stress shows intensive correlation to amorphous Si:H, grain boundaries and hydrogen incorporation in the as-deposited materials.     

Structural effect on intrinsic stress in nanocrystalline Si:H films

Intrinsic stress in nanocrystalline Si:H films which prepared by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique, was illustrated as a compressive stress by means of Raman scattering and radius of curvature measurement. The Raman signals can be well fitted by a model of strain-calibrated phonon confinement, where the sole effect of phonon confinement and Fano interference on Raman scattering was excluded, respectively. The ion bombardment effect on the origination of intrinsic stress in the PECVD films was discussed. The formation of nc-Si:H was explained by etching model in present experimental parameters’ range. The results infer that the intrinsic compressive stress shows intensive correlation to amorphous Si:H, grain boundaries and hydrogen incorporation in the as-deposited materials.     

Structural characterization of boron doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films

Structural properties of boron doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method were mainly characterized with Raman and X-ray diffraction methods. The experimental Raman data were fitted better by Fano effect profiles than those by phonon confinement effect line shapes chiefly due to high efficiency doping in grown films. The measured Raman spectra were deconvoluted into three-Gaussian profile components: around the peak positions 520 and 480 cm⁻¹ which contribute from crystalline and amorphous tissues separately, as well as a curve centered at about 500 cm⁻¹, which is attributed to the presence of grain boundaries. The average crystalline grain size and crystalline volume fraction were valued with Raman and X-ray diffraction techniques, respectively, while the error derived from different methods was elucidated. Accordingly, the structural changes including crystallites, grain boundaries and amorphous matrices in doped films with boron doping level were analyzed.     

Synthesis and studies on effect of indium doping on physical properties of electrodeposited CdSe thin films

Semiconducting CdSe and indium doped CdSe (In: CdSe) thin films have been synthesized on stainless steel and fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass substrates in an aqueous medium using a potentiostatic mode of electrodeposition. The doping concentration of indium has been optimized to 0.15 vol% using the reliable photoelectrochemical technique. To study the effect of indium doping these films are characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, elemental mapping, Raman spectroscopy, contact angle measurement and UV–visible spectrophotometry techniques. CdSe and In: CdSe thin films are low crystalline with a cubic crystal structure. The valence states of CdSe and In: CdSe thin films are analyzed by means of XPS. Undoped CdSe thin film shows fiberlike morphology, which transforms into a beautiful web of nanofibers upon doping. The Elemental composition of both films analyzed by means of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Raman studies show transverse optical and longitudinal optical modes of phonon. Indium doping improves the hydrophilic nature of CdSe photoanode. The optical band gap (direct) found to be decreased from 2.02 to 1.67 eV upon indium doping. Both films are photoactive in nature.     

Effect of oxygen incorporation on the vibrational properties of Al0.2Ga0.3In0.5P:Be films

The vibrational properties of Al_0.2Ga_0.3In_0.5P:Be films grown on (100) GaAs substrates by solid source molecular beam epitaxy varying the phosphorous cracking-zone temperature (PCT) were studied by Raman spectroscopy. The Raman-intensity ratio between the allowed longitudinal optical and the forbidden transverse optical (TO) phonons, and the full width at half maximum of their Lorentzian fits were used to characterize the crystalline quality of the films. The Raman spectra from the samples show changes in the shape and intensity of phonon resonances depending on the PCT variation, indicating that the disorder in the lattice increases with PCT. The increasing disorder is related to the inclusion of oxygen, which act as a non-intentional perturbing impurity in the lattice. In addition, a vibrational mode located at 598 cm^− 1 related to a forbidden InP-like TO phonon resonance was correlated with oxygen-induced disorder. Photoluminescence at room temperature shows that the high inclusion of oxygen also deteriorates the optical properties of the samples, by introducing non-radiative recombination centers.     

Study of optical phonon modes of CdS nanoparticles using Raman spectroscopy

The reduction in the grain size to nanometer range can bring about radical changes in almost all of the properties of semiconductors. CdS nanoparticles have attracted considerable scientific interest because they exhibit strongly size-dependent optical and electrical properties. In the case of nanostructured materials, confinement of optical phonons can produce noticeable changes in their vibrational spectra compared to those of bulk crystals. In this paper we report the study of optical phonon modes of nanoparticles of CdS using Raman spectroscopy. Nanoparticle sample for the present study was synthesized through chemical precipitation technique. The CdS nanoparticles were then subjected to heat treatment at low temperature (150°C) for extended time intervals. The crystal structure and grain size of the samples were determined using X-ray diffraction and HRTEM. The Raman spectra of the as-prepared and heat treated samples were recorded using conventional Raman and micro-Raman techniques. The spectrum of as prepared sample exhibited an intense, broad peak at 301 cm⁻¹ corresponding to the LO phonon mode. Higher order phonon modes were also observed in the spectra. A noticeable asymmetry in the Raman line shape indicated the effect of phonon confinement. Other features in the spectra are discussed in detail.     

纳米Zn1-xFexSe薄膜的制备和结构研究

采用双源热蒸发方法制备了纳米 Zn1-xFexSe稀释磁性半导体薄膜,根据 X 射线衍射谱和Raman散射谱研究了薄膜的晶体结构和声子谱特征。结果表明:Zn1-xFexSe薄膜中纳米晶粒的晶格常数随Fe含量增加而增大;通过 Raman 散射光谱观察到明显的声子限域效应,与 ZnSe体材料相比,Zn1-xFexSe薄膜同光学声子模对应的 Raman 散射峰表现出宽化和红移;纳米晶粒的晶格膨胀导致 Raman散射峰红移随Fe含量增多而相应加大。     

Growth and characterization of nc-Ge prepared by microwave annealing

Ge nanocrystals embedded in Silicon oxide matrix have been synthesized on Si substrate by co-sputtering of SiO₂ and Ge using RF magnetron sputtering technique. The as deposited films were subjected to microwave annealing at 800 and 900 °C. The structural characterization was performed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrometry. XRD measurements confirmed the formation of Ge nanocrystals. Raman scattering spectra showed a peak of Ge-Ge vibrational mode around 299 cm⁻¹, which was caused by quantum confinement of phonons in the Ge nanocrystals. Variation of the nanocrystal size with annealing temperature has been discussed. Advantages of microwave annealing are explained in detail.     

Structural, electronic, and optical properties of nanocrystalline As-doped ZnO films on quartz substrates determined by Raman scattering and infrared to ultraviolet spectra

Nanocrystalline As-doped ZnO films with different laser power energy (40 mJ and 55 mJ) and As doping concentrations (C_As from 1% to 3%) have been grown on quartz substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The average grain size of the films was calculated from the (002) peak of x-ray diffraction patterns and is estimated to vary from 9 to 13 nm. Electronic transitions and optical properties of the films have been investigated by Raman scattering, far-infrared reflectance, and infrared-ultraviolet spectral transmittance technique. With increasing doping concentration, the A₁ longitudinal optical phonon mode shifts towards the lower energy side and can be described by (564-75C_As) cm^-1 owing to the increment of free carrier concentration. The E₁ transverse optical phonon frequency is located at about 415 cm^-1 and does not show an obvious decreasing trend with the C_As. The optical constants in the photon energy range of 0.5-6.5 eV have been extracted by fitting the experimental data with the Adachi's model. The refractive index dispersion in the transparent region can be well expressed by a Sellmeier's single oscillator function. Due to different doping concentration and hexagonal crystalline structure, the optical band gap of the films grown at 40 mJ linearly decreases with increasing As concentration. The phenomena agree well with the results from the theoretical calculations.     

Quantum-confined nanowires as vehicles for enhanced electrical transport

Electrical transport in semiconductor nanowires taking quantum confinement and dielectric confinement into account has been studied. A distinctly new route has been employed for the study. The fundamental science underlying the model is based on a relationship between the quantum confinement and the structural disorder of the nanowire surface. The role of surface energy and thermodynamic imbalance in nanowire structural disorder has been described. A model for the diameter dependence of energy bandgap of nanowires has been developed. Ionized impurity scattering, dislocation scattering and acoustic phonon scattering have been taken into account to study carrier mobility. A series of calculations on silicon nanowires show that carrier mobility in nanowires can be greatly enhanced by quantum confinement and dielectric confinement. The electron mobility can, for example, be a factor of 2-10 higher at room temperature than the mobility in a free-standing silicon nanowire. The calculated results agree well with almost all experimental and theoretical results available in the literature. They successfully explain experimental observations not understood before. The model is general and applicable to nanowires from all possible semiconductors. It is perhaps the first physical model highlighting the impact of both quantum confinement and dielectric confinement on carrier transport. It underscores the basic causes of thin, lowly doped nanowires in the temperature range 200?K?≤?T?≤?500?K yielding very high carrier mobility. It suggests that the scattering by dislocations (stacking faults) can be very detrimental for carrier mobility.     

Raman scattering in Me-doped ZnO nanorods (Me = Mn, Co, Cu and Ni) prepared by thermal diffusion

We have investigated normal and resonant Raman scattering in Me-doped ZnO nanorods (Me = Mn, Co, Cu and Ni) prepared by thermal diffusion. Experimental results show that the normal Raman spectra consist of the conventional modes associated with wurtzite ZnO and impurity-related additional modes. Under resonant conditions, only longitudinal optical (LO) phonon scattering and its overtones are observed. The number of LO phonon lines and their relative intensity depend on the doping element and level. For the nanorods doped with Cu and Ni, we have observed LO phonon overtones up to eleventh order. This situation does not happen for the Mn-doped nanorods, which show only five LO phonon modes. By co-doping Mn and Co into the ZnO host lattice, however, the LO phonon overtones up to eleventh order are observed again. The nature of this phenomenon is explained by means of the study of XRD, TEM and photoluminescence.     

Lattice dynamics of layered ferroelectric semiconductor compound TlGaSe2

We present the first-principles calculation of the lattice dynamics of the TlGaSe₂ ternary semiconductor having highly anisotropic crystal structure. Calculations have been performed using open-source code ABINIT on the basis of the density functional perturbation theory within the plane-wave pseudopotential approach. Results on the frequencies of phonon modes in the centre of Brilloin zone and the dispersion of transverse shear acoustic branch of the phonon spectra agree well with the experimental data on Raman scattering, infrared reflectivity and ultrasound wave propagation in TlGaSe₂. The calculated and experimental temperature dependencies of heat capacity are in a good agreement up to the room temperature. Along the layer, the low-frequency acoustic branch displays the bending wave behavior which is characteristic of the layer crystal structures.     

Structural phase analysis,band gap tuning and fluorescence properties of Co doped TiO2 nanoparticles

This paper reports on structural and optical properties of Co (0, 3, 5 & 7 mol%) doped TiO₂ (titania) nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by employing acid modified sol–gel method. The crystalline phase of the pure and doped NPs was observed with X-ray diffraction (XRD) followed by Raman scattering technique. Field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy give the morphological details. Fourier transform infrared spectra indicate the bonding interactions of Co ions with the titania lattice framework. Optical studies were attained with UV–visible absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. XRD analysis reveals that all prepared samples have pure anatase phase with tetragonal symmetry devoid of any other secondary phase. The average crystallite size of all samples was calculated using Scherrer’s formula and was found to vary from 8 to 10 nm with doping concentration of Co. The Raman spectroscopy further confirmed the formation of TiO₂ in anatase structure in both pure and Co doped TiO₂ NPs. The most intense Raman active E_g peak of TiO₂ NPs shifted to higher energy on doping. Both UV–visible and fluorescence spectra show a blue shift in their absorption and band edge emission subsequently on increasing with Co percentage in titania host matrix, wherever there is an indication of quantum confinement effect with widening of band gap on decreasing in NPs size. There is also a possibility of strong Coulomb interaction effect on the optical processes involving the Co ions. However, the intensities of different emission spectra are not the same but decrease profoundly for doping samples due to concentration quenching effect.     

Defect characterization in graphene and carbon nanotubes using Raman spectroscopy

This review discusses advances that have been made in the study of defect-induced double-resonance processes in nanographite, graphene and carbon nanotubes, mostly coming from combining Raman spectroscopic experiments with microscopy studies and from the development of new theoretical models. The disorder-induced peak frequencies and intensities are discussed, with particular emphasis given to how the disorder-induced features evolve with increasing amounts of disorder. We address here two systems, ion-bombarded graphene and nanographite, where disorder is represented by point defects and boundaries, respectively. Raman spectroscopy is used to study the 'atomic structure' of the defect, making it possible, for example, to distinguish between zigzag and armchair edges, based on selection rules of phonon scattering. Finally, a different concept is discussed, involving the effect that defects have on the lineshape of Raman-allowed peaks, owing to local electron and phonon energy renormalization. Such effects can be observed by near-field optical measurements on the G' feature for doped single-walled carbon nanotubes.     

Raman spectroscopy of n-type and p-type GaSb with multiple excitation wavelengths

The interpretation of Raman spectra of GaSb can be complicated by the presence of a so-called surface space-charge region (SSCR), resulting in an inhomogeneous near-surface Raman scattering environment. To fully interpret Raman spectra, it is important to have an understanding of the SSCR profile relative to the Raman probe depth. However, a priori determination of even the actual SSCR width is not always possible for GaSb under a wide range of doping levels. The primary objective of this report is to provide a convenient reference to aid in the determination of relative contributions to an observed GaSb Raman spectrum of SSCR scattering and bulk scattering for a range of excitation wavelengths, doping levels, and SSCR widths and types. Raman spectra of both n-type and p-type doped GaSb epilayers were obtained using 488 nm, 514.5 nm, 647.1 nm, and 752.55 nm excitation radiation. Both n-type and p-type doped GaSb epilayers were selected for investigation because these layers exhibit the two different SSCR types that are typically encountered with as-grown GaSb and related materials. A range of doping levels were examined for each doping type so as to examine the effects of a varying SSCR width on the observed spectra. A secondary objective of this report is to demonstrate the performance of a spectroscopic system based on 752.55 nm excitation that is sensitive to bulk carrier properties in n-type and p-type doped GaSb epilayers over a wide doping range, unlike visible-wavelength-based optical systems.     

Optical and microstructural investigations of porous silicon

Raman scattering and photoluminescence (PL) measurements on (100) oriented n-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) and porous silicon (PS) samples were carried out. PS samples were prepared by anodic etching of c-Si under the illumination of light for different etching times of 30, 60 and 90 min. Raman scattering from the optical phonon in PS showed the redshift of the phonon frequency, broadening and increased asymmetry of the Raman mode on increasing the etching time. Using the phonon confinement model, the average diameter of Si nanocrystallites has been estimated as 2.9, 2.6 and 2.3 nm for 30, 60 and 90 min samples, respectively. Similar size of Si crystallites has been confirmed from the high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Using 2TO phonon mode intensity, we conjectured that the disordered Si region around the pores present in 30 min PS dissolved on etching for 90 min. The photoluminescence (PL) from PS increased in intensity and blue shifted with etching time from 2.1–2.3 eV. Blue shifting of PL is consistent with quantum confinement of electron in Si nanocrystallites and their sizes are estimated as 2.4, 2.3 and 2.1 nm for 30, 60 and 90 min PS, respectively which are smaller than the Raman estimated sizes due to temperature effect. Unambiguous dominance of quantum confinement effect is reported in these PS samples.     

Investigation of structural,optical, antibacterial,and dielectric properties of V-doped copper oxide thin films: Comparison with undoped copper oxide thin films

Vanadium doped Copper oxide (CO) thin films were prepared by the sol-gel dip-coating method. The properties of thin films were examined by X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), UV–Visible-NIR spectrophotometry, and dielectric properties analyzer. The antibacterial and photocatalytic properties were also determined. XRD spectra revealed the dual-phase of copper oxide (cuprite and tenorite) for all percentages of V with no other impurity peak. Tauc's relation is used to probe the optical band gap which is reduced from 1.96 to 1.64 eV with an increase in vanadium doping percentage. The impurity band coalesces with the conduction band of copper oxide to decrease the band gap. Dielectric constant measurements reveal that the Ac conductivity of thin films increases with an increase in V doping percentage.     

Characteristics of In_(0.52)Al_(0.48)As Grown on InP(100) Substrates by Molecular Beam Epitaxy: Growth Optimisation and Effects of Si Doping

Growth of In0.52Al0.48As epilayers on InP (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy at a wide range of substrate tempreatures (470~550℃) and at different Si doping levels has been carried out. Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) and double-axis X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses shaw a strong dependence of the PL and XRD linewidths, XRD intensity ratio (Lepi/Isub), and lattice-mismatch on the substrate temperature. The X-ray diffraction peaks of samples grown at law temperatures show a composition of smaller peaks, indicating the presence of disorder due to alloy clustering. Raman scattering measurements of the same samples show an additional higher energy mode at 273 cm-1 in addition to the InAs-like and AlAs-like longitudinal-optic (LO) phonon modes. Samples doped with Si show an inverted S-shaped dependence of the PL peak energy variation with the temperature which weakens at high doping levels due to a possible reduction in the donor binding energy. Supported be observations of a reduction in both the AlAs-like and InAs-like LO phonon frequencies and a broadening of the LO phonon line shape as the doping level is increased, the PL intensity also shows in increasing degrees at higher doping levels, a temperature dependence which is characteristic of disordered and amorphous materials.