Although there are numerous optical spectroscopy techniques and methods that have been used to extract the fundamental bandgap of a semiconductor,most of them belong to one of these three approaches:(1)the excitonic a...Although there are numerous optical spectroscopy techniques and methods that have been used to extract the fundamental bandgap of a semiconductor,most of them belong to one of these three approaches:(1)the excitonic absorption,(2)modulation spectroscopy,and(3)the most widely used Tauc-plot.The excitonic absorption is based on a many-particle theory,which is physically the most correct approach,but requires more stringent crystalline quality and appropriate sample preparation and experimental implementation.The Tauc-plot is based on a single-particle theo⁃ry that neglects the many-electron effects.Modulation spectroscopy analyzes the spectroscopy features in the derivative spectrum,typically,of the reflectance and transmission under an external perturbation.Empirically,the bandgap ener⁃gy derived from the three approaches follow the order of E_(ex)>E_(MS)>E_(TP),where three transition energies are from exci⁃tonic absorption,modulation spectroscopy,and Tauc-plot,respectively.In principle,defining E_(g) as the single-elec⁃tron bandgap,we expect E_(g)>E_(ex),thus,E_(g)>E_(TP).In the literature,E_(TP) is often interpreted as E_(g),which is conceptual⁃ly problematic.However,in many cases,because the excitonic peaks are not readily identifiable,the inconsistency be⁃tween E_(g) and E_(TP) becomes invisible.In this brief review,real world examples are used(1)to illustrate how excitonic absorption features depend sensitively on the sample and measurement conditions;(2)to demonstrate the differences between E_(ex),E_(MS),and E_(TP) when they can be extracted simultaneously for one sample;and(3)to show how the popular⁃ly adopted Tauc-plot could lead to misleading results.Finally,it is pointed out that if the excitonic absorption is not ob⁃servable,the modulation spectroscopy can often yield a more useful and reasonable bandgap than Tauc-plot.展开更多
基金Supported by Bissell Distinguished Professor Endowment Fund at UNC-Charlotte。
文摘Although there are numerous optical spectroscopy techniques and methods that have been used to extract the fundamental bandgap of a semiconductor,most of them belong to one of these three approaches:(1)the excitonic absorption,(2)modulation spectroscopy,and(3)the most widely used Tauc-plot.The excitonic absorption is based on a many-particle theory,which is physically the most correct approach,but requires more stringent crystalline quality and appropriate sample preparation and experimental implementation.The Tauc-plot is based on a single-particle theo⁃ry that neglects the many-electron effects.Modulation spectroscopy analyzes the spectroscopy features in the derivative spectrum,typically,of the reflectance and transmission under an external perturbation.Empirically,the bandgap ener⁃gy derived from the three approaches follow the order of E_(ex)>E_(MS)>E_(TP),where three transition energies are from exci⁃tonic absorption,modulation spectroscopy,and Tauc-plot,respectively.In principle,defining E_(g) as the single-elec⁃tron bandgap,we expect E_(g)>E_(ex),thus,E_(g)>E_(TP).In the literature,E_(TP) is often interpreted as E_(g),which is conceptual⁃ly problematic.However,in many cases,because the excitonic peaks are not readily identifiable,the inconsistency be⁃tween E_(g) and E_(TP) becomes invisible.In this brief review,real world examples are used(1)to illustrate how excitonic absorption features depend sensitively on the sample and measurement conditions;(2)to demonstrate the differences between E_(ex),E_(MS),and E_(TP) when they can be extracted simultaneously for one sample;and(3)to show how the popular⁃ly adopted Tauc-plot could lead to misleading results.Finally,it is pointed out that if the excitonic absorption is not ob⁃servable,the modulation spectroscopy can often yield a more useful and reasonable bandgap than Tauc-plot.
