Raman amplification for trapped radiation in crystalline single Si nanoparticle.

In a single crystalline Si particle, we observed a huge amplification of the Raman peak at 521 cm-1. With an AFM microscope, coupled with a Micro-Raman spectrometer, we investigate a single Si particle at wavelengths of 532 nm, 633 nm, and 785 nm. As observed by transmission electron microscopy, it has an octahedral shape of 150 nm in size. Thermal effects were detected on the Raman peak when the laser radiation, trapped inside, determines the heating of the particle up to its fusion. In these cases, the Raman peak splits into two components, the first at the crystal position and the other shifted at a lower value. The data permit the identification of the amplification mechanism of the Raman peak as trapped radiation moving forward and backwards into the particle. The thermal effects are attributed to phonon confinement and reduced thermal exchange with the surrounding. The present results are discussed in light of local order, the uncertainty principle, and phonon dispersion curves, and corroborated by shape-dependent simulation of absorption, scattering, and extinction behaviour.

Strong infrared photoluminescence in highly porous layers of large faceted Si crystalline nanoparticles.

Almost all physical processes in solids are influenced by phonons, but their effect is frequently overlooked. In this paper, we investigate the photoluminescence of large silicon nanoparticles (approximately 100 nm size, synthesized by chemical vapor deposition) in the visible to the infrared detection range. We find that upon increasing laser irradiance, an enormous photoluminescence emission band appears in the infrared. Its intensity exhibits a superlinear power dependence, increasing over four orders of magnitude in the investigated pump power range. Particles of different sizes as well as different shapes in porous layers are investigated. The results are discussed taking into account the efficient generation of phonons under high-power pumping, and the reduced capability, porosity dependent, of the silicon nanoparticles to exchange energy with each other and with the substrate. Our findings are relevant for heat management strategies in silicon.

Pinning of size-selected Pd nanoclusters on graphite.

The production of stable cluster arrays on smooth surfaces has several potential technological applications. We report a study of the pinning of size-selected palladium nanoclusters on the graphite surface. The clusters formed during gas aggregation in vacuum are projected with sufficient kinetic energy to create a defect in the graphite surface. The energy necessary to create such an immobilizing defect is investigated as a function of the palladium cluster size. The palladium pinning energy is found to deviate from the simple binary collision model as appropriate to previously reported silver and gold results. This finding is in agreement with the deviation of nickel clusters and points to the influence of the interatomic cluster bonding on the mechanics of the collision.

Co dimers observed by extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy.

Cobalt was introduced into a silver matrix by ion implantation and observed by extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. In the range 0.10--0.70 at. % evidence of Co dimers dispersed in the matrix was found. The dimers are somewhat contracted with respect to the bulk Co nearest neighbor distance and distributed in a chainlike configuration with each dimer at 90 degrees from each other along opposite square faces of the Ag fcc lattice.