Amorphous Silicon-Germanium Films with Embedded Nanocrystals for Thermal Detectors with Very High Sensitivity

<div>HRTEM cross section of a <svg height="14.2954pt" id="M36" style="vertical-align:-5.528999pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.7664 58.252 14.2954" width="58.252pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M169 380V459C122 440 66 423 24 416V392C86 384 90 382 90 317V-135C90 -201 81 -207 17 -213V-240H253V-213C176 -207 169 -201 169 -125V6C182 -1 208 -11 238 -12C368 12 487 109 487 260C487 358 421 449 310 449C298 449 279 444 261 433L169 380ZM169 346C196 367 237 389 269 389C341 389 403 329 403 221C403 109 347 37 263 37C228 37 191 53 169 76V346Z" id="g121-110"></path><glyph.data ascent="989" descent="-360" horiz-adv-x="524" vert-adv-y="524"></glyph.data></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,6.655,0)"><path d="M797 0V26C739 32 732 36 732 103V296C732 394 682 449 605 449C576 449 550 437 529 423C504 407 475 389 446 366C425 418 382 449 334 449C303 449 279 437 253 421C222 403 201 385 180 371V452C135 432 85 419 41 411V388C99 379 102 374 102 310V103C102 38 93 32 27 26V0H238V26C189 32 180 38 180 103V338C210 363 250 390 289 390C351 390 377 348 377 275V103C377 37 368 32 306 26V0H520V26C465 32 456 38 456 101V296C456 314 455 326 453 338C491 369 529 390 565 390C628 390 653 345 653 274V107C653 36 642 32 583 26V0H797Z" id="g121-107"></path><glyph.data ascent="989" descent="-360" horiz-adv-x="819" vert-adv-y="819"></glyph.data></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,17.302,0)"><path d="M300 253H71L57 198H286L300 253Z" id="g190-46"></path><glyph.data ascent="989" descent="-360" horiz-adv-x="356" vert-adv-y="356"></glyph.data></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,21.948,0)"><path d="M409 504C401 567 396 607 392 642C354 654 312 665 266 665C137 665 60 583 60 487C60 374 161 325 225 290C300 250 355 215 355 141C355 68 311 21 235 21C131 21 86 122 71 183L41 176C48 128 61 42 68 21C78 16 93 8 118 0C142 -7 175 -15 216 -15C349 -15 438 69 438 174C438 287 344 333 265 374C186 414 138 449 138 522C138 576 172 631 249 631C336 631 363 562 380 499L409 504Z" id="g121-81"></path><glyph.data ascent="989" descent="-360" horiz-adv-x="474" vert-adv-y="474"></glyph.data></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,28.032,0)"><path d="M135 536C164 536 186 560 186 587C186 617 164 639 136 639C109 639 85 617 85 587C85 560 109 536 135 536ZM252 0V26C188 32 181 38 181 106V451C138 433 90 420 39 412V388C99 379 102 374 102 312V106C102 38 95 32 32 26V0H252Z" id="g121-103"></path><glyph.data ascent="989" descent="-360" horiz-adv-x="268" vert-adv-y="268"></glyph.data></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,31.552,3.132)"><path d="M545 403C545 425 527 451 498 451C448 451 400 404 312 286L290 341C262 412 246 451 219 451C182 451 138 404 92 345L112 323C152 368 169 378 181 378C192 378 201 359 216 321L257 214C184 115 142 69 113 69C102 69 93 73 88 79S78 89 68 89C47 89 24 61 24 40C24 8 49 -12 75 -12C125 -12 175 31 271 175L312 64C330 15 357 -12 382 -12C421 -12 475 35 515 98L496 121C466 88 439 62 420 62C402 62 384 92 363 147L325 247C349 280 374 309 397 333C422 361 446 381 462 381C471 381 481 374 488 366C493 360 499 357 505 357C521 357 545 380 545 403Z" id="g50-121"></path><glyph.data ascent="3443" descent="-2856" horiz-adv-x="569" vert-adv-y="569"></glyph.data></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,37.247,0)"><path d="M692 302H438V274C537 267 543 260 543 188V103C543 61 531 48 511 37C489 26 458 20 424 20C231 20 146 188 146 333C146 517 258 630 411 630C507 630 582 597 606 474L634 480C627 546 622 601 619 636C586 643 510 665 426 665C230 665 44 552 44 321C44 122 191 -15 411 -15C491 -15 573 7 635 21C629 49 628 81 628 116V202C628 261 632 266 692 274V302Z" id="g121-69"></path><glyph.data ascent="989" descent="-360" horiz-adv-x="715" vert-adv-y="715"></glyph.data></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,46.646,0)"><path d="M380 106C343 72 306 56 265 56C195 56 116 112 115 248C235 252 361 262 377 265C396 269 400 277 400 297C400 374 333 449 250 449H249C198 449 144 421 103 376S37 269 37 201C37 88 109 -12 232 -12C263 -12 332 6 395 84L380 106ZM225 412C281 412 315 364 314 312C314 297 308 292 290 292C232 290 176 289 120 289C135 370 180 412 225 412Z" id="g121-99"></path><glyph.data ascent="989" descent="-360" horiz-adv-x="425" vert-adv-y="425"></glyph.data></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,52.227,3.132)"><path d="M563 395C563 428 543 451 519 451C500 451 480 438 472 423C468 415 465 403 470 394C477 381 482 368 482 347C482 272 386 136 342 74H340C334 163 323 257 312 337C302 410 290 451 257 451C214 451 160 385 127 338L145 310C169 341 203 373 209 373C219 373 225 369 232 325C249 215 269 62 271 -15C220 -80 135 -165 18 -231L26 -257L142 -230C254 -105 279 -74 342 13C394 85 484 211 526 286C553 334 563 365 563 395Z" id="g50-122"></path><glyph.data ascent="3443" descent="-2856" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587"></glyph.data></g></svg>:H film, where the presence of nanocrystals of sizes in the range of 2 nm-3 nm is observed. The inset shows an amplified image of 2 nanocrystals.</div>

Journal of Nanotechnology

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Figure 4

Figure 4: Amorphous Silicon-Germanium Films with Embedded Nanocrystals for Thermal Detectors with Very High Sensitivity 