Open AccessFirst-principles study: size-dependent optical properties for semiconducting silicon carbide nanotubes
Author(s) -
Shuping Huang,
Dong Wu,
Hu Jian,
H. Zhang,
Zhen Xie,
Hailong Hu,
Weiguo Cheng
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.15.010947
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon nanotube , zigzag , chirality (physics) , silicon carbide , dielectric , optics , optoelectronics , condensed matter physics , nanotechnology , composite material , geometry , mathematics , chiral symmetry breaking , physics , quantum mechanics , quark , nambu–jona lasinio model
Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the effect of tube size on optical properties of the zigzag, armchair, and chiral SiC nanotubes. The results indicate that the optical spectra of SiC nanotubes are dependent on the diameter and chirality, and that optical anisotropy is observed for different light polarizations. For a given chirality of SiCNTs, redshifts or blueshifts of the peaks in the dielectric function and energy loss function with increasing tube diameter are possible due to the competition between the size effect and pi orbitals overlapping, and the shifts become smaller as the tube diameter increases. The unusual optical properties of semiconducting SiC nanotubes present an opportunity for applications in electro-optical devices.