硅量子点的形状及其弯曲表面效应

硅量子点的弯曲表面引起系统的对称性破缺, 致使某些表面键合在能带的带隙中形成局域电子态.计算结果表明:硅量子点的表面曲率不同形成的表面键合结合能和电子态分布明显不同. 例如, Si–O–Si桥键在曲率较大的表面键合能够在带隙中形成局域能级, 而在硅量子点曲率较小的近平台表面上键合不会形成任何局域态, 但此时的键合结合能较低. 用弯曲表面效应(CS)可以解释较小硅量子点的光致荧光光谱的红移现象. CS效应揭示了纳米物理中又一奇妙的特性. 实验证实, CS效应在带隙中形成的局域能级可以激活硅量子点发光. 关键词： 硅量子点 弯曲表面效应 表面键合 局域能级     

Evolution of Si0.8Ge0.2 quantum dots during Si encapsulation

Surface structure, determined by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), surface morphology, determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and surface composition, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of 20.0 nm Si_0.8Ge_0.2 quantum dots formed at 800 °C and encapsulated with 0-10 nm of Si at 500 °C and 800 °C are presented. It is observed that the quantum dot surface morphology changes during the Si encapsulation at 800 °C by the smoothing of the quantum dots. The height of the quantum dots decreases faster than can be accounted for from the amount of Si deposited, indicating that there is movement of material out of the quantum dots during the encapsulation process. Encapsulation at 500 °C results in a retention of the quantum dot surface morphology with increased Ge segregation compared to Si encapsulation at 800 °C. We conclude that the changing surface morphology at 800 °C is not the result of Ge segregation but due to intermixing resulting from the tensile strain of Si depositing on SiGe.     

Si纳米量子点的LPCVD自组织化形成及其生长机理研究

采用低压化学汽相沉积(LPCVD)方法，依靠纯SiH₄气体分子的表面热分解反应， 在由Si—O—Si键和由Si—OH键终端的两种SiO₂表面上，自组织生长了Si纳米量子点. 实 验研究了所形成的Si纳米量子点密度随SiO₂表面的反应活性位置数、沉积温度以及反应气 压的变化关系. 依据LPCVD的表面热力学过程，定性地分析了Si纳米量子点的形成机理.研究结果对具有密度分布均匀和晶粒尺寸可控的Si纳米量子点的自组织生长，以及Si基新型量子电子器 关键词： Si纳米量子点 LPCVD 自组织化形成 生长机理     

Energy Spectrum of Charge Carriers in Elastically Strained Assemblies of Ge/Si Quantum Dots

The results of studying the energy spectrum of electrons and holes localized in second-type Ge/Si heterostructures with Ge quantum dots are presented. In such structures, holes are localized at Ge quantum dots, and electrons, in three-dimensional quantum wells, which form in Si at the Ge—Si interface because of inhomogeneous deformations that appear as a result of the difference between the Ge and Si lattice constants. It is shown that changes in the deformations in the assembly of quantum dots as a result of a variation in their spatial arrangement significantly changes the binding energy of electrons, the position of their localization at quantum dots, the binding energy and wave-function symmetry of holes at double quantum dots (artificial molecules), and the exchange interaction of electrons and holes in the exciton composition. A practically important result of the presented data is the development of approaches to increase the luminescence quantum efficiency and the absorption coefficient in assemblies of quantum dots.     

Spectrum of electron-hole states of the Si/Ge structure with Ge quantum dots

The lateral photoconductivity spectra of Si/Ge multilayer structures with Ge quantum dots of various sizes are investigated. We observed optical transition lines between the hole levels of quantum dots and electronic states of Si. This enabled us to construct a detailed energy level diagram of the electron-hole spectrum of the Si/Ge structures. It is shown that the hole levels of Ge quantum dots are successfully described by the “quantum box” model using the actual sizes of Ge islands. It I found that the position of the longwavelength photosensitivity boundary of Si/Ge structures with Ge quantum dots can be controlled by changing the growth parameters.     

Photoluminescence of germanium quantum dots grown in silicon on a SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> submonolayer

The photoluminescence of quantum dots in Si/Ge/SiO₂/Si and Si/Ge/Si structures is investigated as a function of temperature. The low activation energies for the temperature quenching of photoluminescence of germanium quantum dots in both structures are explained in terms of the thermally stimulated capture of holes from quantum dots to the energy levels of defects localized in their vicinity.     

Selective enhancement of the hole photocurrent by surface plasmon–polaritons in layers of Ge/Si quantum dots

It is found that the integration of Ge/Si heterostructures containing layers of Ge quantum dots with twodimensional regular lattices of subwave holes in a gold film on the surface of a semiconductor leads to the multiple (to 20 times) enhancement of the hole photocurrent in narrow wavelength regions of the mid-infrared range. The results are explained by the light wave excitation of the surface plasmon–polaritons at the metal–semiconductor interface effectively interacting with intraband transitions of holes in quantum dots.     

Resonant Raman scattering by strained and relaxed germanium quantum dots

This paper reports on the results of resonant Raman scattering investigations of the fundamental vibrations in Ge/Si structures with strained and relaxed germanium quantum dots. Self-assembled strained Ge/Si quantum dots are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on Si(001) substrates. An ultrathin SiO₂ layer is grown prior to the deposition of a germanium layer with the aim of forming relaxed germanium quantum dots. The use of resonant Raman scattering (selective with respect to quantum dot size) made it possible to assign unambiguously the line observed in the vicinity of 300 cm^?1 to optical phonons confined in relaxed germanium quantum dots. The influence of confinement effects and mechanical stresses on the vibrational spectra of the structures with germanium quantum dots is analyzed.     

Optical phonons in Ge quantum dots obtained on Si(111)

The Raman light scattering from optical phonons of Ge quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a Si(111) surface is studied. A series of Raman lines related to the quantization of phonon spectrum is observed. It is shown that phonon frequencies are adequately described in terms of the elastic properties and the dispersion of the optical phonons of bulk Ge. The strain experienced by the Ge quantum dots is estimated.     

Si3N4Si量子点电子结构的理论研究

采用经表面优化的对称球形团簇作Ｓｉ₃Ｎ₄，Ｓｉ晶态量子点的模型，利用紧束缚近似和ｒｅｃｕｒｓｉｏｎ方法研究了它们的电子结构，给出了导带底和价带顶位置随量子点尺寸的变化。得到了３２８原子Ｓｉ₃Ｎ₄量子点、３２３原子Ｓｉ量子点的中心原子局域态密度及平均态密度，并讨论了态密度和光谱结构的关系，中心原子局域态密度能较好地描述量子点的光谱，这一点得到了实验结果的证实。 关键词：     

Optimum Quantum Yield of the Light Emission from 2 to 10 nm Hydrosilylated Silicon Quantum Dots

Optimizing the light‐emitting efficiency of silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) has been recently intensified by the demand of the practical use of Si QDs in a variety of fields such as optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and bioimaging. It is imperative that an understanding of the optimum light‐emitting efficiency of Si QDs should be obtained to guide the design of the synthesis and processing of Si QDs. Here an investigation is presented on the characteristics of the photoluminescence (PL) from hydrosilylated Si QDs in a rather broad size region (≈2–10 nm), which enables an effective mass approximation model to be developed, which can very well describe the dependence of the PL energy on the QD size for Si QDs in the whole quantum‐confinement regime, and demonstrates that an optimum PL quantum yield (QY) appears at a specific QD size for Si QDs. The optimum PL QY results from the interplay between quantum‐confinement effect and surface effect. The current work has important implications for the surface engineering of Si QDs. To optimize the light‐emission efficiency of Si QDs, the surface of Si QDs must be engineered to minimize the formation of defects such as dangling bonds at the QD surface and build an energy barrier that can effectively prevent carriers in Si QDs from tunneling out.     

Infrared spectroscopy of intraband transitions in Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices

We report the study of infrared spectroscopy of intraband transitions in Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices. The superlattices, which were grown on (001) oriented Si substrates by a solid source molecular beam epitaxy system, are composed mainly of 20 or 30 periods of Ge dot layers and Si spacer films. The structural properties of them and of the uncapped Ge dots grown on the surfaces of some of them were tested by cross-sectional transmission electron and atomic force microscopes, respectively. It is found that the Ge quantum dots have flat lens-like shapes. Infrared absorption signals peaking in the mid-infrared range were observed using Fourier transform infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy techniques. Experimental and theoretical analysis suggests that the mid-infrared response be attributed to intraband transitions within the valence band of the Ge quantum dots in the superlattices. The fact that the intraband absorption is strongly polarized along the growth axis of the superlattices signifies that the Ge quantum dots with flat lens-like shapes perform as Ge/Si-based quantum wells. This study demonstrates the application potential of these kinds of Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices for developing mid-infrared photodetectors.     

Spatial distribution of elastic deformations in Ge/Si structures with quantum dots

A method is developed for calculating the elastic deformation in coherently strained heterostructures on the basis of the valence force field (VFF) model using the Green’s function of the “atomistic” elastic problem. The spatial distribution of the elastic deformations in a Ge/Si system with pyramidal Ge quantum dots buried in a Si matrix is investigated theoretically. The deformation distribution in and around the pyramids is determined. Near quantum dots, the region near the tip of the pyramid is most strongly intensely. Inside quantum dots the region of the vertex is most relaxed, and the most strained section lies on the contour of the pyramid base. Compression occurs in the plane of the pyramid base inside quantum dots, and stretching occurs along the vertical direction. The picture is reversed near quantum dots: stretching occurs in the lateral direction and compression in the vertical direction. It is shown that the local deformations and their spatial distribution are essentially independent (to within the scaling) of the size of the quantum dots for 10–15 nm pyramid bases.     

Bonding state of a hole in Ge/Si double quantum dots

The emission of holes from the bonding state of diatomic artificial molecules formed by vertically coupled Ge/Si(001) quantum dots is studied by the admittance spectroscopy method. It is found that, when the thickness of the Si barrier between Ge quantum dots exceeds 2.5 nm, the binding energy of a hole in an artificial molecule becomes smaller than the ionization energy of a single quantum dot. This result contradicts the predictions of the quantum-mechanical model of molecular bonds and testifies to the crucial role of mechanical stresses in the formation of the bonding orbital in a system of elastically stressed quantum dots.     

Electron Spin Resonance in Heterostructures with Ring Molecules of GeSi Quantum Dots

JETP Letters - Heterostructures with annular groups of GeSi quantum dots grown on Si(001) substrates with GeSi nanodisks embedded beneath the surface are investigated by the electron spin resonance...     

Spin states of holes in Ge/Si nanowire quantum dots

We investigate tunable hole quantum dots defined by surface gating Ge/Si core-shell nanowire heterostructures. In single level Coulomb-blockade transport measurements at low temperatures spin doublets are found, which become sequentially filled by holes. Magnetotransport measurements allow us to extract a g factor g approximately 2 close to the value of a free spin-1/2 particle in the case of the smallest dot. In less confined quantum dots smaller g factor values are observed. This indicates a lifting of the expected strong spin-orbit interaction effects in the valence band for holes confined in small enough quantum dots. By comparing the excitation spectrum with the addition spectrum we tentatively identify a hole exchange interaction strength chi approximately 130 microeV.     

Excitons in Ge/Si double quantum dots

The spatial structure of excitons and the oscillator strength characterizing the intensity of interband optical transitions in vertically coupled Ge/Si quantum dots have been theoretically studied. It has been found that the probability of the exciton transition under certain conditions (the sizes of the quantum dots, the separation of the dots) can be much larger (up to a factor of 5) than the value for the case of single quantum dots. It is expected that the results will make it possible to approach the creation of efficient light-emitting and photoreceiving devices based on Si and Ge indirect-band semiconductors.     

Electron spins in an array of tunnel-coupled quantum dots

Mechanisms of electron spin relaxation in semiconductor arrays with tunnel-coupled quantum dots are reviewed. The contribution for anisotropic exchange interaction is shown for asymmetrical quantum dots having no inversion axis relative to their plane. The configuration of vertically coupled double Ge/Si quantum dots is found where anisotropic exchange coupling does not contribute to spin decoherence. It could be a basic configuration of spin-based quantum computation schemes.     

Antibonding ground state of holes in double vertically coupled Ge/Si quantum dots

The existence of the antibonding ground state of holes in artificial molecules, which are formed by the vertically coupled Ge/Si quantum dots, has been proved experimentally. This phenomenon is absent in natural molecules and double quantum dots containing electrons. It is a consequence of spin-orbit interaction and deformation effects in the valence band of vertically aligned quantum dots.     

Optical properties of InAs quantum dots in a Si matrix

We report on the optical properties of nanoscale InAs quantum dots in a Si matrix. At a growth temperature of 400°C, the deposition of 7 ML InAs leads to the formation of coherent islands with dimensions in the 2–4 nm range with a high sheet density. Samples with such InAs quantum dots show a luminescence band in the 1.3 μm region for temperatures up to 170 K. The PL shows a pronounced blue shift with increasing excitation density and decays with a time constant of 440 ns. The optical properties suggest an indirect type II transition for the InAs/Si quantum dots. The electronic structure of InAs/Si QDs is discussed in view of available band offset information.