Correlation of electrical conductivity and photoluminescence in nanoporous silicon

The effective electrical conductivity of p type porous silicon is determined both theoretically and experimentally for different porosities ranging from 30% to 80%. In this work, Effective Medium Approximation (EMA) model was used as a theoretical support. The porous silicon samples were prepared by the electrochemical etching method for different values of the anodic current. The porous material is assumed to be formed of three phases; vacuum, oxide and Si nanocrystallites. The analytical expression of the electrical conductivity of the Si nanocrystallites was established using the quantum confinement theory. This enables us to correlate the electrical conductivity of a PS layer, to the peak energy of its photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. A perfect agreement between the theoretical and the experimental electrical conductivity values was obtained for all prospected PS porosities. The results are discussed as regard to other works.     

New Directions for Low‐Dimensional Thermoelectric Materials

Many of the recent advances in enhancing the thermoelectric figure of merit are linked to nanoscale phenomena found both in bulk samples containing nanoscale constituents and in nanoscale samples themselves. Prior theoretical and experimental proof‐of‐principle studies on quantum‐well superlattice and quantum‐wire samples have now evolved into studies on bulk samples containing nanostructured constituents prepared by chemical or physical approaches. In this Review, nanostructural composites are shown to exhibit nanostructures and properties that show promise for thermoelectric applications, thus bringing together low‐dimensional and bulk materials for thermoelectric applications. Particular emphasis is given in this Review to the ability to achieve 1) a simultaneous increase in the power factor and a decrease in the thermal conductivity in the same nanocomposite sample and for transport in the same direction and 2) lower values of the thermal conductivity in these nanocomposites as compared to alloy samples of the same chemical composition. The outlook for future research directions for nanocomposite thermoelectric materials is also discussed.     

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.     

高气孔率莫来石制备、性能及其非线性导热模型

以高铝矾土、硅灰为原料, 玉米淀粉为造孔剂制备高气孔率莫来石, 通过XRD、SEM等对产物物相、形貌进行表征, 研究淀粉含量对显气孔率、体积密度和抗折强度的影响, 及不同显气孔率的莫来石随温度变化的导热系数, 建立体积密度、抗折强度与气孔率关系模型及非线性导热模型。结果表明: 体积密度、抗折强度随气孔率增加而减小, 并符合指数函数关系。导热系数随温度的升高而增大, 实测值与非线性导热模型计算值吻合较好, 非线性导热模型能够准确地反映高气孔率莫来石导热系数与温度、气孔率、平均孔径和热辐射等之间的关系。     

Thermal conductivity of InAs quantum dot stacks using AlAs strain compensating layers on InP substrate

The growth and thermal conductivity of InAs quantum dot (QD) stacks embedded in GaInAs matrix with AlAs compensating layers deposited on (1 1 3)B InP substrate are presented. The effect of the strain compensating AlAs layer is demonstrated through Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction structural analysis. The thermal conductivity (2.7 W/m K at 300 K) measured by the 3ω method reveals to be clearly reduced in comparison with a bulk InGaAs layer (5 W/m K). In addition, the thermal conductivity measurements of S doped InP substrates and the SiN insulating layer used in the 3ω method in the 20–200 °C range are also presented. An empirical law is proposed for the S doped InP substrate, which slightly differs from previously presented results.     

Density improvement of Si quantum dots embedded in Si-rich silicon nitride films by light-filtering rapid thermal processing

Si-rich silicon nitride (SRSN) (SiN_x, x ≈ 0.49) films were deposited on Si (100) and quartz substrates by magnetron co-sputtering. For comparison, two sets of identical samples were then treated in a nitrogen atmosphere by conventional rapid thermal processing (CRTP) and light-filtering rapid thermal processing (LRTP) at temperature in a range of 950–1,100 °C, respectively. Raman spectroscopy, grazing incident X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, photoluminescence (PL) and Hall measurements were used to analyze the structure, luminescence, and conductivity of the films. Experimental results show that the samples treated with LRTP posses higher dot number density, crystalline volume fraction, PL intensity and conductivity than the CRTP samples. The quantum effects in rapid thermal processing have a negative influence on the formation and density of Si quantum dots (QDs) in SRSN films. The present work opens new strategy for the formation of high density Si QDs embedded in SRSN films.     

多孔硅与聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯复合光致发光特性研究

多孔硅与有机材料复合可以改善多孔硅的光致发光特性。用化学腐蚀的方法制备了多孔硅，通过不同方法实现了多孔硅与聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)的复合。实验结果表明，用旋涂法实现的PMMA固化后再与多孔硅复合而制得的样品的结果最好，它与原始的多孔硅样品相比，发光峰发生了蓝移而且发光强度下降很小。PMMA层有限的厚度和PMMA对多孔硅表面的保护使复合后发光强度下降很小。制备的多孔／PMMA复合体系的发光强度几乎不随时间而下降，这可能是由于PMMA有效地隔绝多孔硅与空气的接触，保护了多孔硅的表面，不会产生更多的悬挂键。     

Origin of non-uniformity in MBE grown nanometer-sized InGaAs ridge quantum wires and its removal by atomic hydrogen-assisted cleaning

The origin of non-uniformity of MBE-grown InGaAs ridge quantum wires (QWRs) in sub 10-nm wire width range was investigated in detail by SEM, in situ XPS, TEM and PL measurements. InAlAs/InGaAs/InAlAs wires were selectively grown on InGaAs ridge structures prepared also by MBE on 10 stripe patterned (001) InP substrates. The main source of non-uniformity was thermal cleaning of InP in As₄ done prior to InGaAs ridge formation which produced ridges having irregular sized InGaAs islands due to an initial As–P exchange reaction. Low temperature atomic hydrogen cleaning removed this problem, and led to successful formation of sub 10-nm QWRs.     

Argon-plasma-induced InAs/InGaAs/InP quantum dot intermixing

We report the first study of argon (Ar)-plasma-enhanced intermixing of InAs/InGaAs/InP self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) in an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etch system. The Ar-plasma exposure creates point defects, which propagate into the QD structure and enhance the intermixing between the QDs and their barrier layers, hence tuning the energy bandgap of the QDs. By optimizing the plasma exposure time and the annealing temperature, we observe (i) a blueshift of 160?nm and an increase in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the QD samples immediately after Ar-plasma exposure for 90?s, and (ii) a further increase in the blueshift of 330?nm, accompanied by 2.5-times increase in the PL intensity and 37?nm narrowing in the PL linewidth after subsequent rapid thermal annealing at 720?°C. The ability to generate a large blueshift without degrading the material quality shows that Ar-plasma exposure is an efficient post-growth technique for tuning the energy bandgap of QD structures.     

SiNx薄膜中硅纳米粒子的制备及表征

通过等离子增强化学气相沉积(PECVD)法, 以氨气和硅烷为反应气体, P型单晶硅和石英为衬底, 低温下(200℃)制备了含硅纳米粒子的非化学计量比氮化硅(SiN_x)薄膜. 经高温(范围500~950℃)退火处理优化了薄膜结构. 室温下测试了不同温度退火后含硅纳米粒子SiN_x薄膜的拉曼(Raman)光谱、光致发光(PL)光谱及傅立叶变换红外吸收(FTIR)光谱, 对薄膜材料的结构特性、发光特性及其键合特性进行了分析. Raman光谱表明. SiN_x薄膜内的硅纳米粒子为非晶结构. PL光谱显示两条与硅纳米粒子相关的光谱带, 随退火温度的升高此两光谱带峰位移动方向相同. 当退火温度低于800℃时, PL光谱峰位随退火温度的升高而蓝移. 当退火温度高于800℃时, PL光谱峰位随退火温度的升高而红移. 通过SiNx薄膜的三种光谱分析发现薄膜的光致发光源于硅纳米粒子的量子限制效应. 这些结果对硅纳米粒子制备工艺优化和硅纳米粒子光电器件的应用有重要意义.     

Enhanced light output from the nano-patterned InP semiconductor substrate through the nanoporous alumina mask

A significant enhancement in the light output from nano-patterned InP substrate covered with a nanoporous alumina mask was observed. A uniform nanohole array on an InP semiconductor substrate was fabricated by inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE), using the nanoporous alumina mask as a shadow mask. The light output property of the semiconductor substrate was investigated via photoluminescence (PL) intensity measurement. The InP substrate with a nanohole array showed a more enhanced PL intensity compared with the raw InP substrate without a nanohole structure. After ICP-RIE etching, the light output from the nanoporous InP substrate covered with a nanoporous alumina mask showed fourfold enhanced PL intensity compared with the raw InP substrate. These results can be used as a prospective method for increasing the light output efficiency of optoelectronic devices.     

铈掺杂多孔硅的形貌和光致发光研究

采用电化学方法在多孔硅中掺杂了稀土铈(Ce)元素.利用原子力显微镜表征了多孔硅和Ce掺杂多孔硅的表面形貌,采用荧光分光计对样品的光致发光(PL)特性进行了研究.多孔硅样品在480nm波长激发下PL谱上观察到两个发光峰,分别位于572和650nm;通过光致发光激发谱测量,得到位于572、650nm的发光峰对应的最佳激发波长分别为380和477nm.Ce掺杂多孔硅样品在480nm波长激发下,PL谱上只显示出多孔硅原有的发光增强;而在380nm波长激发下的PL谱上不仅显示多孔硅原有的发光增强,而且还出现了新的发光峰位于517nm.认为这分别是Ce3 与nc-Si发生了能量传递和Ce掺杂引入了新的发光中心所造成的.     

Morphology and optical properties of titanium-doped porous silicon carbide layers

The effect of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) in oxygen on the properties of titanium-doped porous silicon carbide (por-SiC) layers has been studied. The data on the surface morphology and the photoluminescence (PL) spectra show that the high-temperature diffusion annealing is accompanied by the formation of titanium silicides, by an increase in the grain size of the material, and by the emergence of pores on the surface of the por-SiC-Ti sample. The results of PL measurements are consistent with data on the phase composition and the surface morphology of the samples. It is established that RTA leads to modification of the titanium-doped por-SiC structure.     

High optical quality InP-based nanopillars fabricated by a top-down approach

Dense and uniform arrays of InP-based nanopillars were fabricated by dry etching using self-assembly of colloidal silica particles for masking. The pillars, both single and arrays, fabricated from epitaxially grown InP and InP/GaInAsP/InP quantum well structures show excellent photoluminescence (PL) even at room temperature. The measured PL line widths are comparable to the as-grown wafer indicating high quality fabricated pillars. A stamping technique enables transfer with arbitrary densities of the nanopillars freed from the substrate by selectively etching a sacrificial InGaAs layer.     

Realization of an extremely low reflectance surface based on InP porous nanostructures for application to photoelectrochemical solar cells

Extremely low reflectance was obtained from InP porous nanostructures in UV, visible, and near-infrared ranges. Porous samples were electrochemically prepared on which 130-nm-diameter nanopores were formed in a straight, vertical direction and were laterally separated by 50-nm-thick InP nanowalls. The reflectance strongly depended on the surface morphology. The lowest reflectance of 0.1% in the visible light range was obtained after the irregular top layer had been completely removed. Superior photoelectrochemical properties were obtained on the InP porous structures due to two unique features: the large surface area inside pores, and the large photon absorption enhanced on the low reflectance surface.     

InAs0.45P0.55/InP strained multiple quantum wells intermixed by inductively coupled plasma etching

The intermixing effect on InAs_0.45P_0.55/InP strained multiple quantum wells (SMQWs) by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) is investigated. Experiments show that the process of ICP etching followed RTA induces the blue shift of low temperature photoluminescence (PL) peaks of QWs. With increasing etching depth, the PL intensities are firstly enhanced and then diminished. This phenomenon is attributed to the variation of surface roughness and microstructure transformation inside the QW structure during ICP processing.     

Ti掺杂对half-Heusler合金YNiSb热电性能的影响

通过悬浮熔炼方法制备了Y1-xTixNiSb(x=0,0.015,0.02,0.025)材料并研究了Ti掺杂对材料热电性能的影响。经过孔隙率修正后,Ti掺杂样品的热导率和电导率均比未掺杂样品要低,并且随着Ti含量的增加呈现先下降后上升的趋势。分析发现Ti掺杂后样品热导率的降低是由于电子热导率的下降所致,电子载流子的引入则导致了电导率的下降。Ti掺杂后样品Seebeck系数在室温下有变负趋势,表明材料在室温下可能呈现N型传导特性。最终,Ti掺杂提高了材料的热电性能。Ti含量x=0.015的样品在770K左右获得最大ZT值0.085,与未掺杂样品相比,提高了约60%。     

Effective thermal conductivity of a high porosity model food at above and sub-freezing temperatures

The modelling of heat transfer within materials with high porosity is complicated by evaporation-condensation phenomena. The aim of this work is to develop a model for apparent thermal conductivity in these products. The effective thermal conductivity of a porous food model (sponge) having 0–60% moisture contents and 0.59–0.94 porosity was measured by a line-source heat probe system in the range −35 to 25 °C. Two predictive models of the effective thermal conductivity of porous food were developed (Krischer and Maxwell models). The effective thermal conductivity predicted by Krischer model were in good agreement with the experimental data. Also, it was shown that the model including the effect of evaporation-condensation phenomena in addition to heat conduction was useful to predict the effective thermal conductivity of sponges.     

莫来石含量对钙长石/莫来石复相多孔陶瓷组织结构与性能的影响

以CaCO₃、SiO₂、α-Al₂O₃为原料, 采用泡沫注凝法制备了不同莫来石含量的钙长石/莫来石复相多孔陶瓷, 研究了莫来石含量对复相多孔陶瓷的体积密度、气孔率、抗压强度、热导率及微观组织和结构的影响. 结果表明, 莫来石含量对气孔率有很大的影响, 烧结过程中液相出现引起的收缩是气孔率下降的主要原因; 在气孔率相近的情况下, 莫来石含量较高试样的抗压强度和热导率也较高, 致密的孔壁、长柱状的莫来石晶粒使得复相多孔陶瓷的抗压强度提高. 所制备的钙长石/莫来石复相多孔陶瓷的开口气孔率介于60.8%~75.2%, 抗压强度为12.94~36.95 MPa, 热导率为0.30~1.33 W/(m·K).     

Thermophysical Properties of Porous Sandstones: Measurements and Comparative Study of Some Representative Thermal Conductivity Models

The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of porous consolidated sandstones have been measured simultaneously by the transient-plane source (TPS) technique in the temperature range from 280 to 330 K at ambient pressure using air as the saturant. The porosity and density parameters are measured using standard American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods at 307 ± 1 K. Data are presented for five types of samples ranging in porosity from 8 to 17 vol. %, taken from various positions above the baseline. The thermal conductivity and constituents of the minerals vary with porosity as well as with the position of the sample from the baseline. The thermal conductivity data are discussed in the framework of simple mixing laws and empirical models. Simple correlations between the effective density and porosity, and between the effective thermal conductivity and porosity, are also established