ELNES Analysis for Silicon, Silicon Oxide and Their Interface

Matsumoto, Hironobu; Nagamatsu, Shin‐ichi; Nakazawa, Masatoshi; Fujikawa, Takashi

doi:10.1238/physica.topical.115a01099

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Figure 3 shows an ADF STEM image of the edge of a β-FeSi 2 nanocrystal and corresponding background-subtracted Si L 2,3 edges acquired from the core of the crystal, from the shell region, and from vacuum. The onset of the Si L 2,3 edge in the core of the crystal is at ß99 eV, while in the shell region it is shifted to ß104 eV, in good agreement with the expected onsets of the Si L 2,3 edge of crystalline Si [24] (99 eV) and of amorphous SiO 2 [23] (104.8 eV), in which the tetrahedra formed from Si and O bonds lack long-range order. Thus, the observed shift in the Si edge onset suggests that the shell structure is mostly SiO x .…”

Section: Structural and Chemical Propertiessupporting

confidence: 80%

Structural and electronic properties ofβ-FeSi2nanoparticles: The role of stacking fault domains

et al. 2014

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We use conventional and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ab initio calculations to investigate the structural and electronic properties of β-FeSi 2 nanoparticles, which are a promising material for photovoltaic applications due to a band gap of <1 eV and a high absorption coefficient. The nanoparticles have average sizes of ß20 nm, form aggregates, and are prepared by gas-phase synthesis. Amorphous SiO x shells with thicknesses of ß1.7 nm around β-FeSi 2 cores are identified on individual nanoparticles using electron energy-loss spectroscopy, while stacking fault domains in the nanoparticles are observed using high-resolution TEM, nanobeam electron diffraction, and automated diffraction tomography. Ab initio calculations indicate only minor changes in band structure in the faulted structure when compared to perfect β-FeSi 2 . The optical properties of imperfect β-FeSi 2 nanoparticles are therefore expected to be the same as those of the perfect structure, suggesting that β-FeSi 2 nanoparticles are suitable candidates for use in optical absorber layers in thin film solar cells.

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Section: Structural and Chemical Propertiessupporting

confidence: 80%