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Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Study of Thermally Evaporated Tin Telluride (SnTe) Thin Films

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Abstract

In this study, SnTe thin films were successfully synthesized through thermal evaporation, and the films were characterized, with a particular emphasis on the use of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The structural properties of the SnTe thin films were investigated by employing grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GI-XRD), which indicated that the films exhibited polycrystalline growth. The thickness and density of the film were estimated to be approximately 31 nm and 6.24 g/cm3, respectively, by analyzing the Kiessig fringe pattern obtained from x-ray reflectivity (XRR). Raman spectroscopy revealed the longitudinal optical (LO) and transverse optical (TO) modes, with a small red shift in peak positions due to the quantum confinement effect. A comparative analysis revealed that the Raman modes in the SnTe thin film were red-shifted compared to those in the bulk SnTe powder, which may be attributed to the nanometer size effect. The optical properties, studied in the wavelength range of 300–1000 nm using SE, showed that the film’s refractive index (n) decreases while the extinction coefficient (k) first increases and then gradually decreases with increasing photon energy. The spectral signature of the extinction coefficient (k) indicated an increase in photon absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Moreover, the optical conductivity (σopt) plot showed an improved optical response in the vicinity of 1.40 eV in the NIR range. The direct transition optical bandgap (\({E}_{\mathrm{opt}}^{g}\)) obtained for the SnTe thin films was 1.20 eV, and this, along with the better optical response, suggests the potential application of the films for NIR detection.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their thanks to the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CIR) at MNNIT Allahabad for providing facilities for the synthesis and characterization of the sample, and Prof. K. N. Uttam, Saha’s Spectroscopy Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Allahabad, for providing the Raman facility. The authors also acknowledge CAFMC (VBSPU) and Department of Physics (BHU) for their FE-SEM and TEM facility respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211004, India

    Anchal Kishore Singh, Bhim Sen Yadav, Anand Kumar Vishwakarma, Sarvesh Kumar & Naresh Kumar

  2. School of Electrical, Computer and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Faizan Ahmad

  3. Department of Applied Science, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211015, India

    Pramod Kumar

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  1. Anchal Kishore Singh
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Singh, A.K., Yadav, B.S., Vishwakarma, A.K. et al. Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Study of Thermally Evaporated Tin Telluride (SnTe) Thin Films. J. Electron. Mater. 52, 7132–7142 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-023-10635-z

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