ABSTRACT
The study is focused on formation and optical properties of nanostructures induced by laser radiation on the surface of Si1-xGe(x)/Si hetero-structures. Formation of self-assembling nanohills induced by irradiation of nanosecond Nd:YAG laser pulses on the Si0.7Ge0.3/Si hetero-epitaxial structures is reported. The atomic force microscope study of the irradiated surface morphology has shown a start of nanohills formation after laser irradiation of the intensity I = 7.0 MW/cm2. The huge "blue shift" of photoluminescence spectra with maximum intensity in region of 700-800 nm (1.76-1.54 eV) is explained by the quantum confinement effect in the nanohills. The maximum of this photoluminescence band slightly shifts to shorter wavelengths with the increase of the intensity of laser pulses used for sample treatment. Appearance of the 300 cm(-1) Ge-Ge vibration band in Raman scattering spectra for sample irradiated with I = 20.0 MW/cm2 is explained by Ge phase formation. Formation of the Ge-rich phase is explained by localization of Ge atoms drifting toward the irradiated surface under the thermal gradient due to strong absorption of laser radiation. Ellipsometric data confirm appearance of Ge-rich phase precipitates amounting to 7.1%, 6.4% of the total Ge content induced by laser radiation of intensities I1 = 20.0 MW/cm2, I2 = 7.0 MW/cm2 respectively.
ABSTRACT
Self-organized formation of uniform coating of semiconductor substrate by metal nanoparticles offers a convenient and efficient access to large-scale arrays of uniform metal-semiconductor nanostructures. We used a cheap and facile method of photoinduced chemical gold deposition from an aqueous or alcohol gold salt solution onto semiconductor surface (GaAs, InP). By controlling of both the solution composition and the deposition conditions, gold particles of 10-50 nm in diameter were obtained and the gold covering degree of the semiconductor surface was varied in a wide range. Morphology of the nano/micro structures formed was characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanned electron microscopy with local element analysis. The investigations show that the semiconductor surface patterning can be used for the selective deposition of gold nanoparticles, because they are located predominantly at the tops of the microrelief. We have used specially textured by the anisotropic chemical etching microrelief surfaces of semiconductor single crystal as templates and have obtained nanoparticle arrays in the shape of 1D systems of near parallel quasiperiodical wires. For the periodic 1D array of metal nanowires built into the air-semiconductor interface the spectral and angular dependencies of the transmittance/reflectance of the polarized light have been obtained theoretically using differential formalism. These dependencies demonstrate non-monotonic behaviour at surface plasmon polariton excitation conditions and show possibility of designing functional subwavelength devices.
ABSTRACT
A detailed optical and photoelectric characterization of pristine fullerene C60 films deposited onto n-silicon substrates (C60/Si), C60 films crosslinked by means of the solvent-free chemical functionalization with 1,8-diaminooctane (C60-DA/Si), and the pristine and crosslinked films decorated with silver nanoparticles (C60-Ag/Si and C60-DA-Ag/Si), was carried out. The reflectance spectra obtained allowed to calculate the absorption coefficient (alpha = 4pik/lamda) spectral dependencies and the spectra of light transmittance in layered barrier structures metal(Au)/fullerene/Si. Photoelectric properties of the films were investigated as well. The experimentally measured values of band gap were in a good agreement with mobility gap values (2.3 +/- 0.1 eV). The decoration of fullerene films (both pristine and chemically crosslinked) with silver nanoparticles did not change the photocurrent spectra as compared to those for undecorated fullerene films, but lowered the values of internal quantum efficiency Qint. The photocurrent generated in fullerene/Si heterostructure, showed a maximum value at lamda to appromimately 450 nm (Qint max approximately = 0.25 for decorated and undecorated C60-DA/Si films), and it was higher for the samples based on pristine C60 films, in accordance with their higher absorption coefficient. Diminishing of Qint for C60-DA/Si and C60-DA-Ag/Si films was observed for the spectral range of photocurrent generated in Si layer. The analysis of dark current-voltage characteristics showed that the barrier properties differ insignificantly, though a certain increase of series resistance was observed for the C60-DA/Si samples.
