Silicon Nanoparticle Formation Analysis and Optical Properties

In this study, the formation of silicon nanoparticles by thermal annealing of an initial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure is being performed. The SOI samples are synthesized by thermal oxidation of Si (100) wafers followed by magnetron and ion beam sputtering of a thin Si top layer. The thermal anneals are performed in a rapid thermal anneal system at temperatures ranging from 600\r{ }C to 900\r{ }C under atmospheric pressure of Ar gas. The nanoparticle formation process is being studied as a function of the thermal anneal maximum temperature, anneal time, and Si layer thickness. The annealed samples are measured by atomic force microscopy to determine the resulting nanoparticle size distributions and synthesis details. Electron microscopy is also being used for physical analysis in addition optical properties being studied through Effective Medium Approximations (EMA) proposed in the Lorentz-Lorenz (LL), Maxwell-Garnett (MG), and Bruggeman methods. Results for these experiments as well as comparisons with the work of others will be presented.