American Physical Society, Physical review B, 4(87), 2013
DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.87.045404
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The evolution of the structural and optical properties of a silicon core in oxidized nanowalls is investigated as a function of oxidation time. The same individual nanostructures are characterized after every oxidation step in a scanning electron microscope and by low-temperature photoluminescence, while a representative sample is also imaged in a transmission electron microscope. Analysis of a large number of recorded single-dot spectra and micrographs allows to identify delocalized and localized exciton emission from a nanowire as well as confined exciton emission of a nanocrystal. It is shown how structural transitions from one- to zero-dimensional confinement affect single-nanostructure optical fingerprints.