Structural characterization determination of silicon nanocrystals embedded in amorphous silicon nitride matrix from the effect of the light scattering

Abstract In this work, we will study the elastic and inelastic light scattering by the silicon nanocrystals (Si-nc) embedded in amorphous silicon nitride matrix. Indeed, the photons are subjected to several modifications in terms of intensity, direction and wavelength when they interact with Si-ncs. The reflectance combined with photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy are a very sensitive tool for probing the scattering light. Results show that the observed shift of the experimental PL peaks is attributed to the Raman scattering and the PL broadening peaks to the Rayleigh scattering. A novel method allowed the determination of both the core and the surface bond lengths of Si-nc was reported. The decrease of the Raman shift observed in structures containing Si-ncs is mainly due to the Si-nc curved surface, and it reflects the presence of silicon dangling bonds at the Si-nc interfaces.