Investigation of the Phonon Frequency Shifts in ZnO Quantum Dots

Nanostructures made of ZnO have recently attracted attention due to their proposed applications in low-voltage and short-wavelength electro-optical devices. However, the origin of the observed phonon frequency shifts in such nanostructures is not always understood. We carried out both resonant and non-resonant Raman measurements for 20 nm-diameter ZnO quantum dots (QDs) and bulk ZnO reference samples [1]. A comparison with a recently developed theory [2], allowed us to clarify the origin of the phonon frequency shifts in ZnO QDs. It was found that the phonon confinement results in phonon frequency shifts of only few cm$^{-1}$. At the same time, the UV laser heating of the QD ensemble was found to induce a large red shift of phonon frequencies for up to 14 cm$^{-1}$. The authors acknowledge the support of MARCO and its Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics (FENA) Focus Center. [1] K.A. Alim, V.A. Fonoberov, and A.A. Balandin, Appl. Phys. Lett., in review (2004). [2] V.A. Fonoberov and A.A. Balandin, Phys. Stat. Solidi C \textbf{1}, 2650 (2004); cond-mat/0405681; cond-mat/0411742.