Structural imaging of a Si quantum dot: Towards combined PL and TEM characterization

Individual silicon quantum dots were fabricated by electron-beam lithography, plasma etching and a two-step oxidation process. This enables photoluminescence (PL) from individual dots at various temperatures to be detected and spectrally resolved using a sensitive charge-coupled device camera-imaging system, as reported previously. The regular array-like arrangement of oxidized pillars containing individual nanocrystals, in principle, enables combined transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and low-temperature PL characterization of the same Si quantum dot. To this end, a technique employing focused ion beam was developed for preparation of the pillar/nanocrystal of interest for TEM. It is shown that silicon quantum dots of several nanometers in size can be characterized using such a method.