Line Shape in Resonance Raman Scattering from Silicon Quantum Dots

ABSTRACTWe have carried out a resonance Raman study of line-shape in silicon quantum dots synthesized on a quartz substrate by co-sputtering bulk Si and Si02. Optical transmission measurements are used to evaluate dot size distribution. The size distribution shows peaks around 1.0 and 1.4 nm. The Si dots exhibit photoluminescence in the visible region, which shifts to higher energy with decreasing size. The size dependence of Raman scattering shows phonon softening and increasing asymmetrical broadening for small dots (< 2nm). The observed spectra are compared with calculations considering electron-hole interactions at a quasi-direct gap of a spherical quantum dot.