Relaxation between electrons and surface phonons of a homogeneously photoexcited metal film

The energy relaxation between the hot degenerate electrons of a homogeneously photoexcited metal film and the surface phonons (phonon wave vectors in two dimensions) is considered under Debye approximation. The state of electrons and phonons is described by equilibrium Fermi and Bose functions with different temperatures. Two cases for electron scattering by the metal surface, namely specular and diffuse scattering, are considered.     

Electron relaxation and transport in nanostructured and bulk silica

Processes of ballistic and hot electron relaxation in extended bulk as well as nanostructured silica have been analyzed by means of a phonon-based scattering model and respective Monte-Carlo computer simulation. Optical as well as acoustic phonons are taken into account. Trajectories of electrons and their energy attenuation in nanostructured silica are additionally affected by scattering processes at the grain boundaries between the nanoparticles, i.e. by surface phonon as well as potential scattering. Moreover, a flatter conduction band and a higher effective electron mass have been taken into account too. According to these calculations, electrons with an initial energy of several eV, but still below the valence band ionization threshold, were thermalized in 50–300 fs increasing with the silica grain size from 1 nm up to bulk material. The electron emission probabilities over the surface barrier into vacuum are extended up to depths of 60–100 nm, respectively, increasing with enhancement by an electric field.     

Prediction of superconductivity of Ta2AlC: in situ Raman spectrometry and density functional investigations

In this paper, in situ Raman spectra of Ta₂AlC are measured in the temperature range of 80–500 K at ambient pressure. The frequencies of the Raman modes decrease with increasing temperature, which have been explained by the anharmonic and thermal expansion effects. The line‐width of E_2g (ω₃) mode increases at elevated temperatures, which is found to be due to the anharmonic phonon–phonon scatterings. On the other hand, the line‐widths of E_2g (ω₁) and A_1g (ω₄) modes decrease continuously with increasing temperature, which is explained by the electron–phonon couplings of these two phonon modes with the Ta 5d electrons. The electron–phonon coupling strengths are obtained both in experiments and density functional calculations. Finally, Ta₂AlC is predicted to be a new superconductive MAX phase. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The electric field of an electron in an electron–hole plasma with degenerate electrons: Possibility of formation of a superconductivity state

We consider the possibility of the formation of a superconductivity state either in a semiconductor or in an electron–hole plasma with degenerate electrons due to the attractive forces between the electrons as a result of the exchange effects through the electron–hole sound wave by an analogy to the phonon waves in a solid state. We have determined an interaction potential between two electrons in a degenerate electron–hole plasma. The potential appears to be attractive at distances much larger than the Debye radius and decreases as 1/r³. We discuss the conditions in which the bound electron state, the so‐called “Cooper Pair,” in a such field can be formed.     

Real structure influence on the electron–phonon coupling properties of niobium

We performed density functional theory calculations using niobium (Nb) as a model system of a conventional superconductor, to correlate the distortion of twin defects with the electron–phonon coupling properties. Calculations using different settings of the Nb elementary cell (relaxed, distorted, super cell with zig‐zag twin defect) showed that only by including real structure elements into the setting, the Eliashberg spectral function representing the electron–phonon coupling properties was derived convincingly. Based on these density functional theory calculations of the electron–phonon cou‐ pling properties of Nb, we suggest a model for a combined superconducting/charge density wave ground state which uses a lattice distortion induced into the crystal by two‐dimensional defects as modulated background potential of the charge density wave phase. The coexistence of both phases is hereby necessary for a fine‐tuning of the Fermi surface within the small local domain of the defect to match the wavelength of the lattice distortion and the Fermi wavelength by pairing fermions to bosons. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Enhanced Photoelectric and Photothermal Responses on Silicon Platform by Plasmonic Absorber and Omni‐Schottky Junction

Recent progresses in plasmon‐induced hot electrons open up the possibility to achieve photon harvesting beyond the fundamental limit imposed by band‐to‐band transitions in semiconductors. To obtain high efficiency, both the optical absorption and electron emission/collection are crucial factors that need to be addressed in the design of hot electron devices. Here, we demonstrate a photoresponse as high as 3.3mA/W at 1500nm on a silicon platform by plasmonic absorber (PA) and omni‐Schottky junction integrated photodetector, reverse biased at 5V and illuminated with 10mW. The PA fabricated on silicon consists of a monolayer of random Au nanoparticles (NPs), a wide‐band gap semiconductor (TiO₂) and an optically thick Au electrode, resulting in broadband near‐infrared (NIR) absorption and efficient hot‐electron transfer via an all‐around Schottky emission path. Meanwhile, time and spectral‐resolved photoresponse measurements reveal that embedded NPs with superior absorption resembling plasmonic local heating sources can transfer their energy to electricity via the photothermal mechanism, which until now has not been adequately assessed or rigorously differentiated from the photoelectric process in plasmon‐mediated photon harvesting nano‐systems.     

Ultra‐low acoustic‐phonon‐limited mobility and giant phonon‐drag thermopower in MgZnO/ZnO heterostructures

We present numerical simulations of the acoustic‐phonon‐limited mobility, $ \mu _{\rm ac}, $ and phonon‐drag thermopower, S^{\rm g},$ in two‐dimensional electron gases confined in MgZnO/ZnO heterostructures. The calculations are based on the Boltzmann equation and are made for temperatures in the range 0.3–20 K and sheet densities 0.5–30 × 10¹⁵ m^–2. The theoretical estimations of \mu _{\rm ac} $ are in good agreement with the experiment without any adjustable parameters. We find that the magnitude of \mu _{\rm ac} $ is dramatically decreased in relation to GaAs‐based heterostructures. The phonon‐drag thermopower, S^{\rm g},$ which according to Herring's expression is inversely proportional to \mu _{\rm ac} is severely increased exceeding 200 mV/K at T = 5 K depending on sheet density. The giant values of S^{\rm g} $ lead to a strong improvement of the figure of merit ZT at low temperatures. Our findings suggest that MgZnO/ZnO heterostructures can be candidates for good thermoelectric materials at cryogenic temperatures. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Physical insight of superconductivity of Nb2AlC: in situ Raman spectrometry investigation

Superconductivity of Nb₂AlC has been previously reported, but the origin is not clear. In this paper, in situ Raman spectra of Nb₂AlC are measured in the temperature range from 80 to 380 K at ambient pressure. The line‐width of E_2g (ω₁) mode increases with temperature which originates from the anharmonic phonon–phonon scattering. On the contrary the line‐widths of E_2g (ω₂) and A_1g (ω₄) modes decrease continuously at elevated temperature. The phenomenon is explained by the electron–phonon coupling. The origin of superconductivity is therefore interpreted by the coupling of Nb 4d electrons with E_2g (ω₂) and A_1g (ω₄) phonon modes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Raman spectroscopy for study of interplay between phonon confinement and Fano effect in silicon nanowires

A combined effect of doping (type and species) and size on Raman scattering from silicon (Si) nanowires (NWs) has been presented here to study interplay between quantum confinement and Fano effects. The SiNWs prepared from low doping Si wafers show only confinement effect, as evident from the asymmetry in the Raman line‐shape, irrespective of the doping type. On the other hand SiNWs prepared from wafer with high doping shows the presence of electron–phonon interaction in addition to the phonon confinement effect as revealed from the presence of asymmetry and antiresonence in the corresponding Raman spectra. This combined effect induces an extra asymmetry in the lower energy side of Raman peak for n‐type SiNWs whereas the asymmetry flips from lower energy side to the higher energy side of the Raman peak in p‐type SiNWs. Such an interplay can be represented by considering a general Fano‐Raman line‐shape equation to take care of the combined effect in SiNWs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observation of low‐wavenumber out‐of‐plane optical phonon in few‐layer graphene

Few‐layer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition has been studied by Raman and ultrafast laser spectroscopy. A low‐wavenumber Raman peak of ~120 cm⁻¹ and a phonon‐induced oscillation in the kinetic curve of electron–phonon relaxation process have been observed, respectively. The Raman peak is assigned to the low‐wavenumber out‐of‐plane optical mode in the few‐layer graphene. The phonon band shows an asymmetric shape, a consequence of so‐called Breit‐Wigner‐Fano resonance, resulting from the coupling between the low‐wavenumber phonon and electron transitions. The obtained oscillation wavenumber from the kinetic curve is consistent with the detected low‐wavenumber phonon by Raman scattering. The origin of this oscillation is attributed to the generation of coherent phonons and their interactions with photoinduced electrons. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of boundaries and impurities on electron–phonon dephasing

Electron scattering from boundaries and impurities destroys the single-particle picture of the electron–phonon interaction. We show that quantum interference between ‘pure‘ electron–phonon and electron–boundary/impurity scattering may result in the reduction as well as to the significant enlargement of the electron dephasing rate. This effect crucially depends on the extent, to which electron scatterers, such as boundaries and impurities, are dragged by phonons. Static and vibrating scatterers are described by two dimensionless parametersq_Tl and q_TL, where q is the wavevector of the thermal phonon, l is the total electron mean-free path, L is the mean-free path due to scattering from static scatterers. According to the Pippard ineffectiveness condition , without static scatterers the dephasing rate at low temperatures is slower by the factor 1 / ql than the rate in a pure bulk material. However, in the presence of static potential the dephasing rate turns out to be 1 / qL times faster. Thus, at low temperatures electron dephasing and energy relaxation may be controlled by electron boundary/impurity scattering in a wide range.     

Control of condensation and evaporation of electron–hole liquid in diamond by femtosecond laser pulses

We demonstrate the ultrafast control of condensation and evaporation of an electron–hole liquid in diamond prepared by chemical vapor deposition. The electron–hole liquid dynamics was measured using a three‐pulse pump and probe experiment. The transient transmission changes in the presence of electron–hole drops were assigned to the increase in the Drude scattering rate in the model of free carrier absorption due to a high carrier density. The fast (～1 ps) liquid evaporation was induced by infrared femtosecond pulses and its dynamics was investigated under different photon energies and fluences. The value of the electron–hole liquid binding energy per electron–hole pair 80 ± 40 meV determined from the measured transient transmission signal agrees well with previously published values. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Plasmonic hot electron tunneling photodetection in vertical Au–graphene hybrid nanostructures

Plasmon‐induced hot‐electron generation provides an efficient way to convert light into electric current. The investigation of the optoelectronic response in two‐dimensional materials and metallic hybrid nanostructure attracts increasing research interest. Here, we present a tunneling effect of plasmonic hot electrons that is generated from Au nanoparticles, which can vertically tunnel through graphene monolayers. A strong photocurrent induced by the hot electrons was measured in this graphene‐based vertical photodetector with its intensity maximum reached at the plasmon resonance wavelength. The tunneling effect of plasmonic hot electrons was investigated by gradually increasing the incident laser power and bias voltage between the top and bottom electrodes. The dynamic attenuation of plasmonic hot electrons in an excited state was further investigated with multilayered graphene sheets. These results show that our vertical hybrid structure can function as an effective design for the tunneling photodetector, and enable the realization of complex nanophotonic devices that are based on graphene and other 2D materials, such as optical transistors and plasmonic hot‐electron sensors.

     

Effect of phonon scattering mechanisms on the lattice thermal conductivity of skutterudite-related compound

We have prepared the skutterudite-related compounds FeCo_3Sb_{12} and La_{0.75}Fe_3CoSb_{12} with different average grain sizes (about 0.8 and 3.9μm) by hot pressing. Samples were characterized by XRD, EPMA and SEM. The lattice thermal conductivity was investigated in the temperature range from room temperature to 200℃. Based on the Debye model, we analyse the change in lattice thermal conductivity due to various phonon scattering mechanisms by examining the relationship between the weighted phonon relaxation time τ(ω/ω_D)^2 and the reduced phonon frequency ω/ω_D. The effect of grain boundary scattering to phonon is negligible within the range of grain sizes considered in this study. The large reduction in lattice thermal conductivity of FeCo_3Sb_{12} compound contributes to the electron－phonon scattering. As for La_{0.75}Fe_3CoSb_{12} compound, the atoms of La filled into the large voids in the structure of the skutterudite produce more significant electron－phonon scattering as well as more substitute of Fe at Co site at the same time. Moreover, the point-defect scattering appears due to the difference between the atoms of La and the void. In addition, the scattering by the rattling of the rare-earth atoms in the void is another major contribution to the reduced lattice thermal conductivity. Introducing the coupling of the electron－phonon scattering with the point-defect scattering and the scattering by the rattling of the rare-earth atom is an effective method to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity of the skutterudite-related compounds by substitution of Fe for Co and the atoms of La filled in the large voids in the skutterudite structure.     

Reprint of : The Boltzmann--Langevin approach: A simple quantum-mechanical derivation

We present a simple quantum-mechanical derivation of correlation function of Langevin sources in the semiclassical Boltzmann–Langevin equation. The specific case of electron–phonon scattering is considered. It is shown that the assumption of weak scattering leads to the Poisson nature of the scattering fluxes.     

The Boltzmann–Langevin approach: A simple quantum-mechanical derivation

We present a simple quantum-mechanical derivation of correlation function of Langevin sources in the semiclassical Boltzmann–Langevin equation. The specific case of electron–phonon scattering is considered. It is shown that the assumption of weak scattering leads to the Poisson nature of the scattering fluxes.     

Plasmon‐enhanced Raman scattering by suspended carbon nanotubes

We report plasmon‐enhanced Raman scattering of the order of 10³ by a metallic carbon nanotube partially suspended inside a near‐field cavity. The tube is part of a small bundle, and is interfaced with an Au nanodisc dimer using a recently developed assembly scheme based on dielectrophoretic deposition. Spatially resolved Raman measurements with two excitation wavelengths and two orthogonal polarizations confirm that the enhancement arises from a 65 nm long suspended tube segment. We show that the orientation of the tube inside the cavity can be as effective for generating enhancement as placing the nanotube precisely in a plasmonic hotspot. Position and shape of the G‐peak show that the suspended part of the tube is free of strain and doped with a Fermi energy shift ≤40 meV. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

阴极荧光在表面等离激元研究领域的应用

表面等离激元以其独特的光学性质广泛应用于纳米尺度的局域电磁场增强、超高分辨成像及微弱光电探测.阴极荧光是电子与物质相互作用而产生的光学响应,利用电子束激发金属纳米结构能够实现局域等离激元共振,并在亚波长尺度实现对共振模式的调控,具有超高空间分辨的成像特点.阴极荧光探测通常结合扫描电子显微镜或透射电子显微镜而实现,目前己被应用于表面等离激元的探测及共振模式的分析.本文从阴极荧光物理机理出发,综述了单一金属纳米结构和金属耦合结构的等离激元共振模式阴极荧光研究进展,并总结了阴极荧光与角分辨、时间分辨以及电子能量损失谱等关键技术相结合的应用,进一步分析了其面临的关键问题,最后展望了阴极荧光等离激元研究方向.     

Surface optical phonon—assisted electron Raman scattering in a semiconductor quantum disc

We have carried out a theoretical calculation of the differential cross section for the electron Raman scattering process associated with the surface optical phonon modes in a semiconductor quantum disc.electron states are considered to be confined within a quantum disc with infinite potential barriers.The optical phonon modes we have adopted are the slab phonon modes by taking into consideration the Frohlich interaction between an electron and a phonon.The selection rules for the Raman process are given.Numerical results and a discussion are also presented for various radii and thicknesses of the disc,and different incident radiation energies.     

Resonance Raman spectroscopic study of shape‐induced phase transition in CdSe nanoclusters

We report an observation of shape‐induced phase transition from wurtzite to zinc blende phase of encapsulated CdSe nanoclusters in mesoporous silica. Presence of both the phases is also observed in the as‐grown sample before encapsulation. Role of interfacial energy in the energetic mesopores, as the possible origin of phase transition, is thus ruled out, as the samples are encapsulated subsequent to their synthesis in the soft chemistry route. Electron–phonon coupling in the resonant Raman spectroscopic studies, using different energies for clusters of different phase and shape, thereby confirms the presence of both the wurtzite and the zinc blende phases. Transmission electron microscopic studies are used for the direct evidence of the shape‐induced solid–solid phase transition between two crystalline phases, for the first time. Small fluctuation of energies, in the form of shape, during its growth may be the driving force for the observed phenomenon, as the surface energy of both the phases stabilizes to the same value. Thus, finally, specific shapes can be used as one of the ways to differentiate the resulting phases. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.