Raman scattering as a tool to characterize semiconductor crystals, thin layers, and low-dimensional structures containing transition metals

• Published in: Physica Status Solidi. B: Basic Solid State Physics 2014-06, Vol.251 (6), p.1133-1143
• Main Authors: Szuszkiewicz, Wojciech, Jouanne, Michel, Morhange, Jean-François, Kanehisa, Makoto, Dynowska, Elżbieta, Gas, Katarzyna, Janik, Elżbieta, Karczewski, Grzegorz, Kuna, Rafał, Wojtowicz, Tomasz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Condensed Matter; Crystal structure; diluted magnetic semiconductors; Manganese; Materials selection; nanowires; Phonons; Physics; Raman scattering; Raman spectroscopy; Semiconductors; superlattices; Transition metals
• ISSN: 0370-1972; 1521-3951
• DOI: 10.1002/pssb.201350142

Raman scattering is well known as an efficient, nondestructive experimental method to study a variety of physical properties of semiconductors. The sensitivity of modern Raman spectroscopy is illustrated by several results obtained for semiconductor bulk crystals, thin layers, or low‐dimensional structures, containing selected transition metals. Among examples of Raman scattering data are detection of precipitates, a study of the influence of strain on phonon and magnon frequencies, and a search for magnetic excitations or for new phenomena, characteristic of low‐dimensional structures are described. The presented examples concern a few materials, which attract today or have attracted in the past a lot of attention. This selection is limited to Mn and Co impurities and to such well‐known semiconductor materials as MnTe, (Ga,Mn)As, ZnO, and ZnTe. Comparison of the efficiency of Raman scattering on LO phonons (bottom right) with the PL efficiency for a semiconductor superlattice (upper left). The PL contribution to the total intensity due to the Cd0.88Zn0.12Te substrate is also shown. Magnetic, diluted magnetic and transition metal doped semiconductors attract a lot of attention as possible constituents of new spintronic devices. Raman spectroscopy belongs to effi cient, non‐destructive characterization techniques frequently applied for this group of materials. This short review presents several examples of Raman scattering data obtained for a few typical semiconductors containing Mn or Co. Selected phenomena resulting from the presence of magnetic ions in crystals and low‐dimensional structures are demonstrated.