Title: Electron spectroscopy investigations of semiconductor nanocrystals formed by various technologies

Authors: Anatoly I. Kovalev, D.L. Wainstein, D.I. Tetelbaum, A.N. Mikhailov, Y. Golan, Y. Lifshitz, A. Berman, P. Basa, Zs.J. Horvath

Addresses: Surface Phenomena Researches Group, Office 475, 2nd Baumanskaya Street 9/23, CNIICHERMET, Moscow 105005, Russia. ' Surface Phenomena Researches Group, Office 475, 2nd Baumanskaya Street 9/23, CNIICHERMET, Moscow 105005, Russia. ' Surface Phenomena Researches Group, Office 475, 2nd Baumanskaya Street 9/23, CNIICHERMET, Moscow 105005, Russia. ' Surface Phenomena Researches Group, Office 475, 2nd Baumanskaya Street 9/23, CNIICHERMET, Moscow 105005, Russia. ' Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. ' Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. ' Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. ' Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Budapest 114, P.O. Box 49, H-1525, Hungary. ' Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Budapest 114, P.O. Box 49, H-1525, Hungary

Abstract: The electron spectroscopy techniques (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), High Resolution Electron Energy Losses Spectroscopy (HREELS), Extended Energy Loss Fine Structure (EELFS) were used for characterisation of semiconductor nanocrystals (Si, PbS, CdS) formed by various technologies: Si ion implantation in Al₂O₃ matrix and annealing; Si-rich multilayered SiN_x Low Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition (LPCVD); PbS and ZnS nanocrystals on Polydiacetylene (PDA) Langmuir-Blodget polymer films. The chemical, phase and atomic structure non uniformity were determined using depth profiling techniques. The peculiarities of the |matrix nanocrystal| interface atomic and electronic structure, especially for nanocrystals were determined from analysis of XPS chemical shifts and vibrational spectra. The accommodation strains in the Si-nc:Al₂O₃ system were determined by EELFS. The comparison of electron spectroscopy methods and other techniques for nanocrystals investigations (PL, HR-TEM, ellipsometry) is made.

Keywords: semiconductor nanocrystals; x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; auger electron spectroscopy; high resolution electron energy losses spectroscopy; electron energy loss fine structure spectroscopy; atomic structure; electronic structure; surface; depth profiling; nanoparticles; EELFS; XPS; AES; HREELS; strain; nanotechnology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNP.2008.017616

International Journal of Nanoparticles, 2008 Vol.1 No.1, pp.14 - 31

Published online: 21 Mar 2008 *

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