Surface/interface-related optical properties in Si nanodisks fabricated by neutral-beam etching using bio-templates

Abstract

The authors study surface/interface-related optical properties in Si nanodisks (NDs) fabricated by neutral-beam etching using bio-templates. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the transient properties are compared between different barrier materials of SiO2 and SiC. The PL spectral shape depends on the barrier material, indicating effects of oxide formation and/or oxygen atoms on the surface of the Si ND. The transient PL shows nanosecond-scale transition of carriers in surface-related quantum states in the ND. Temperature dependences of the PL intensity show that the activation energy responsible for the electron escape from the Si-ND at near room temperature in the case of SiC barrier agrees well with the conduction band offset, whereas that in the case of SiO2 barrier is significantly lower than the expected offset. The latter discrepancy suggests that the electronic band structure at the interface of Si-ND/SiO2 can be largely affected by dielectric screening due to oxygen atoms in the SiO2.