Raman scattering of alternating nanocrystalline silicon/amorphous silicon multilayers

Nanocrystallite size distribution and structural properties in alternating hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon/amorphous silicon multilayers were investigated by means of Raman scattering. The obtained Raman spectra show a broad peak at ;480 cm from amorphous Si and some small peaks superposed on the broad peak. According to the positions of the crystallite peak, the mean crystallite size and volume fraction of the crystalline were calculated. Since these small peaks have strong size dependence of their relative intensities, an effect induced by the atomic vibrations from the near-surface region of nanocrystals is considered to be responsible for the modification of the vibrational properties and the stable photoluminescence from our samples. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. @S0003-6951~96!03430-4#