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Register a new userStrain engineering in Ge/GeSn core/shell nanowires
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Strain engineering in Sn-rich group IV semiconductors is a key enabling factor to exploit the direct band gap at mid-infrared wavelengths. Here, we investigate the effect of strain on the growth of GeSn alloys in a Ge/GeSn core/shell nanowire geometry. Incorporation of Sn content in the 10-20 at.% range is achieved with Ge core diameters ranging from 50nm to 100nm. While the smaller cores lead to the formation of a regular and homogeneous GeSn shell, larger cores lead to the formation of multi-faceted sidewalls and broadened segregation domains, inducing the nucleation of defects. This behavior is rationalized in terms of the different residual strain, as obtained by realistic finite element method simulations. The extended analysis of the strain relaxation as a function of core and shell sizes, in comparison with the conventional planar geometry, provides a deeper understanding of the role of strain in the epitaxy of metastable GeSn semiconductors.
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The growth of Sn-rich group-IV semiconductors at the nanoscale provides new paths for understanding the fundamental properties of metastable GeSn alloys. Here, we demonstrate the effect of the growth conditions on the morphology and composition of Ge/GeSn core/shell nanowires by correlating the experimental observations with a theoretical interpretation based on a multi-scale approach. We show that the cross-sectional morphology of Ge/GeSn core/shell nanowires changes from hexagonal to dodecagonal upon increasing the supply of the Sn precursor. This transformation strongly influences the Sn distribution as a higher Sn content is measured under the {112} growth front. Ab-initio DFT calculations provide an atomic-scale explanation by showing that Sn incorporation is favored at the {112} surfaces, where the Ge bonds are tensile-strained. A phase-field continuum model was developed to reproduce the morphological transformation and the Sn distribution within the wire, shedding light on the complex growth mechanism and unveiling the relation between segregation and faceting. The tunability of the photoluminescence emission with the change in composition and morphology of the GeSn shell highlights the potential of the core/shell nanowire system for opto-electronic devices operating at mid-infrared wavelengths.
The strain configuration induced by the lattice mismatch in a core-shell nanowire is calculated analytically, taking into account the crystal anisotropy and the difference in stiffness constants of the two materials. The method is applied to nanowires with the wurtzite structure or the zinc-blende structure with the hexagonal / trigonal axis along the nanowire, and the results are compared to available numerical calculations and experimental data. It is also applied to multishell nanowires, and to core-shell nanowires grown along the $<001>$ axis of cubic semiconductors.
The understanding of depletion layers is of major importance to control the optical and electronic properties of metal oxide (MO) nanocrystals (NCs). Here, we show that depletion layer engineering is the main mechanism of photodoping of MO NCs. We show that the introduction of different electronic interfaces induces a double-bending of the electronic bands and a distinct carrier density profile. We found that the light-induced depletion layer modulation and bending of the bands close to the surface of the nanocrystal is the main mechanism responsible for the storage of extra electrons after photodoping in MO NCs. We support our results by a combined experimental and theoretical approach in the case of Sn:In2O3/In2O3 core-shell NCs, in which we compare numerical simulations with empirical modeling and experiments. This allows not only to extract the main mechanism of photodoping in MO NCs but also to engineer the charge storage capability of MO NCs after photodoping. Our results are transferable to other core-multishell systems, opening up a novel direction to control the optoelectronic properties of nanoscale MOs by designing their energetic band profiles through depletion layer engineering.
Core-shell Ge-SixGe1-x nanowires (NWs) are expected to contain large strain fields due to the lattice-mismatch at the core/shell interface. Here we report the measurement of core strain in a NW heterostructure using Raman spectroscopy. We compare the Raman spectra, and the frequency of the Ge-Ge mode measured in individual Ge-Si0.5Ge0.5 core-shell, and bare Ge NWs. We find that the Ge-Ge mode frequency is diameter-independent in GeNWs with a value similar to that of bulk Ge, 300.5 cm-1. On the other hand, Ge-Si0.5Ge0.5 core-shell nanowires reveal a strain-induced blue shift of the Ge-Ge mode, dependent on the relative core and shell thicknesses. Using lattice dynamical theory we determine the strain in the Ge core, and show that the results are in good agreement with values calculated using a continuum elasticity model.
We study theoretically the low-energy phonons and the static strain in cylindrical core/shell nanowires (NWs). Assuming pseudomorphic growth, isotropic media, and a force-free wire surface, we derive algebraic expressions for the dispersion relations, the displacement fields, and the stress and strain components from linear elasticity theory. Our results apply to NWs with arbitrary radii and arbitrary elastic constants for both core and shell. The expressions for the static strain are consistent with experiments, simulations, and previous analytical investigations; those for phonons are consistent with known results for homogeneous NWs. Among other things, we show that the dispersion relations of the torsional, longitudinal, and flexural modes change differently with the relative shell thickness, and we identify new terms in the corresponding strain tensors that are absent for uncapped NWs. We illustrate our results via the example of Ge/Si core/shell NWs and demonstrate that shell-induced strain has large effects on the hole spectrum of these systems.
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