Type:
Conference
Description:
Photon absorption in the solar energy range has been investigated in semiconductor nanostructures. Different synthesis techniques (magnetron sputtering, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, ion implantation) followed by thermal annealing, have been employed to fabricate Si or Ge nanoclusters (1-25 nm in size) embedded in SiO 2 or Si 3 N 4 matrices. The thermal evolution in the formation of Si nanoclusters (NCs) in SiO 2 was shown to depend on the synthesis technique and to significantly affect the light absorption. Experimentally measured values of optical bandgap (E g OPT) in Si NCs evidence the quantum confinement effect which significantly increases the value of E g OPT in comparison to bulk Si. E g OPT spans over a large range (1.6-2.6 eV) depending on the Si content, on the deposition technique and, in a most significant way, on the structural phase of NC. Amorphous Si NCs have a lower …
Publisher:
Trans Tech Publications Ltd
Publication date:
1 Jan 2014
Biblio References:
Volume: 205 Pages: 465-474
Origin:
Solid State Phenomena