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Size dependence of refractive index of Si nanoclusters embedded in SiO2
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he complex refractive index of SiO2 layers containing Si nanoclusters (Si-nc) has been measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the range from 1.5 to 5.0 eV. It has been correlated with the amount of Si excess accurately measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the nanocluster size determined by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy. The Si-nc embedded in SiO2 have been produced by a fourfold Si+ ion implantation, providing uniform Si excess aimed at a reliable ellipsometric modeling. The complex refractive index of the Si-nc phase has been calculated by the application of the Bruggeman effective-medium approximation to the composite media. The characteristic resonances of the refractive index and extinction coefficient of bulk Si vanish out in Si-nc. In agreement with theoretical simulations, a significant reduction of the refractive index of Si-nc is observed, in comparison with bulk and amorphous silicon. The knowledge of the optical properties of these composite layers is crucial for the realization of Si-based waveguides and light-emitting devices.
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MORENO PASTOR, José Antonio, et al. Size dependence of refractive index of Si nanoclusters embedded in SiO2. Journal of Applied Physics. 2005. Vol. 98, num. 1, pags. 013523-013526. ISSN 0021-8979. [consulted: 18 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/24864