Influence of Bi doping on the electronic structure of (Ga,Mn)As epitaxial layers.

The influence of the addition of Bi to the dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As on its electronic structure as well as on its magnetic and structural properties has been studied. Epitaxial (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) layers of high structural perfection have been grown using low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy. Post-growth annealing of the samples improves their structural and magnetic properties and increases the hole concentration in the layers. Hard X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals a strongly dispersing band in the Mn-doped layers, which crosses the Fermi energy and is caused by the high concentration of Mn-induced itinerant holes located in the valence band. An increased density of states near the Fermi level is attributed to additional localized Mn states. In addition to a decrease in the chemical potential with increasing Mn doping, we find significant changes in the valence band caused by the incorporation of a small atomic fraction of Bi atoms. The spin-orbit split-off band is shifted to higher binding energies, which is inconsistent with the impurity band model of the band structure in (Ga,Mn)As. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and modulation photoreflectance spectroscopy results confirm the valence band modifications in the investigated layers.

Optical Properties of Pyrolytic Carbon Films Versus Graphite and Graphene.

We report a comparative study of optical properties of 5-20 nm thick pyrolytic carbon (PyC) films, graphite, and graphene. The complex dielectric permittivity of PyC is obtained by measuring polarization-sensitive reflectance and transmittance spectra of the PyC films deposited on silica substrate. The Lorentz-Drude model describes well the general features of the optical properties of PyC from 360 to 1100 nm. By comparing the obtained results with literature data for graphene and highly ordered pyrolytic graphite, we found that in the visible spectral range, the effective dielectric permittivity of the ultrathin PyC films are comparable with those of graphite and graphene.

Metal nanoparticle-enhanced photocurrent in GaAs photovoltaic structures with microtextured interfaces.

The photocurrent enhancement effect caused by Au and Ag nanoparticles for GaAs-based photovoltaic structures of surface barrier or p-n junction type with microtextured interfaces has been investigated in dependence on the conditions of nanoparticles deposition and, respectively, on the shape and local dielectric environment of obtained nanoparticle arrays. Three nanoparticle deposition methods have been checked: 1) photoinduced chemical deposition of Au from aqueous AuCl3 solution forming nanowires on the ridges of quasigrating-type surface microrelief, 2) deposition of Ag nanoparticles from colloidal suspension on the GaAs substrate covered with poly(vinylpyridine), and 3) drop and dry deposition of Au/SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles from aqueous colloid solution. The comprehensive investigation of optical reflectance, photoelectric, and electrical characteristics of the fabricated barrier structures has shown the highest photovoltaic parameters for surface microrelief of quasigrating-type and electroless Au nanoparticle deposition. The analysis of characteristics obtained allowed us also to define the mechanisms of the total photocurrent enhancement.

Ultra-stable nanoparticles of CdSe revealed from mass spectrometry.

Nanoparticles under a few nanometres in size have structures and material functions that differ from the bulk because of their distinct geometrical shapes and strong quantum confinement. These qualities could lead to unique device applications. Our mass spectral analysis of CdSe nanoparticles reveals that (CdSe)(33) and (CdSe)(34) are extremely stable: with a simple solution method, they grow in preference to any other chemical compositions to produce macroscopic quantities. First-principles calculations predict that these are puckered (CdSe)(28)-cages, with four- and six-membered rings based on the highly symmetric octahedral analogues of fullerenes, accommodating either (CdSe)(5) or (CdSe)(6) inside to form a three-dimensional network with essentially heteropolar sp(3)-bonding. This is in accordance with our X-ray and optical analyses. We have found similar mass spectra and atomic structures in CdS, CdTe, ZnS and ZnSe, demonstrating that mass-specified and macroscopically produced nanoparticles, which have been practically limited so far to elemental carbon, can now be extended to a vast variety of compound systems.