ABSTRACT
We present optical absorption spectra from the ultraviolet to the visible for size selected neutral Agn clusters (n = 5-120) embedded in solid Ne. We compare the spectra to time-dependent density functional calculations (TDDFT) that address the influence of the Ne matrix. With increasing size, several highly correlated electron excitations gradually develop into a single surface plasmon. Its energy is situated between 3.9 and 4.1 eV and varies with size according to the spherical electronic shell model. The plasmon energy is highest for clusters with atom numbers fully filling states with the lowest radial quantum number (e.g. 1s, 1p, 1d,...). TDDFT calculations for clusters with several candidate geometrical structures embedded in Ne show excellent agreement with the experimental data, demonstrating that the absorption bands depend only weakly on the exact structure of the cluster.
ABSTRACT
Nanoscale metal-semiconductor (MS) structure materials occupy an important position in semiconductor and microelectronic field due to their abundant physical phenomena and effects. The thickness of metal films is a critical factor in determining characteristics of MS devices. How to detect or evaluate the metal thickness is always a key issue for realizing high performance MS devices. In this work, we propose a direct surface detection by use of the lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) in MS structure, which can not only measure nanoscale thickness, but also detect the fluctuation of metal films. This method is based on the fact that the output of lateral photovoltaic voltage (LPV) is closely linked with the metal thickness at the laser spot. We believe this laser-based contact-free detection is a useful supplement to the traditional methods, such as AFM, SEM, TEM or step profiler. This is because these traditional methods are always incapable of directly detecting ultra-thin metal films in MS structure materials.
ABSTRACT
Ligand-protected Au clusters are non-bleaching fluorescence markers in bio- and medical applications. Here we show that their fluorescence can be an intrinsic property of the Au cluster itself. We find a very intense and sharp fluorescence peak located at λ=739.2 nm (1.68 eV) for Au20 clusters in a Ne matrix held at 6 K. The fluorescence reflects the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital-Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO-LUMO) diabatic bandgap of the cluster. Au20 shows a very rich absorption fine structure reminiscent of well defined molecule-like quantum levels. These levels are resolved since Au20 has only one stable isomer (tetrahedral); therefore our sample is mono-disperse in cluster size and conformation. Density-functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations clarify the nature of optical absorption and predict both main absorption peaks and intrinsic fluorescence in fair agreement with experiment.
Subject(s)
Electrochemistry/instrumentation , Materials Testing , Photochemistry/instrumentation , Semiconductors , Silicon Dioxide/chemistry , Titanium/chemistry , Electric Impedance , Equipment Design , Equipment Failure Analysis , Light , Silicon Dioxide/radiation effects , Titanium/radiation effectsABSTRACT
The lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) can be used in position-sensitive detectors to detect very small displacements due to its output of lateral photovoltage changing linearly with light spot position. In this review, we will summarize some of our recent works regarding LPE in metal-semiconductor and metal-oxide-semiconductor structures, and give a theoretical model of LPE in these two structures.
