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Application of optical spectroscopic techniques in the characterization of elastic strain effects in semiconductor heterostructures and nanostructures and in semiconductor‐based thin‐film solar cells
Author(s) -
Papadimitriou Dimitra
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.201350298
Subject(s) - semiconductor , materials science , raman spectroscopy , heterojunction , thin film , silicon , spectroscopy , optoelectronics , chalcopyrite , solar cell , nanotechnology , optics , copper , physics , quantum mechanics , metallurgy
Applications of optical spectroscopic techniques in the characterization of elastic strain in semiconductor thin films, heterostructures, and nanostructures, and in semiconductor thin‐film solar cells (TFSCs) are presented. Examples of elastic strain characterization by Raman spectroscopy, modulation (PR and ER) spectroscopy, and reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) are reviewed. In particular, examples of strain evolution in porous silicon thin films and suspended porous silicon membranes for microsensor device technology by Raman spectroscopy, strain quantification in chalcopyrite semiconductors by photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy, and strain analysis in chalcopyrite semiconductor‐based thin‐film solar cells Al/Ni/n‐ZnO/i‐ZnO/CdS/CIS(CIGS)/Mo/glass by electroreflectance (ER) spectroscopy are discussed. A novel method of highly sensitive detection of strains down to 10 −5 by surface‐sensitive RAS is introduced. Strain‐calibrated RAS spectra of Si and III–V compound semiconductors GaAs and InP are shown to provide a useful tool for ex situ quantification and in situ , during semiconductor growth, control of strain.