Analysis of Raman scattering from inclined GeSn/Ge dual-nanowire heterostructure on Ge(1 1 1) substrate

Abstract In this paper, the Raman spectra of GeSn/Ge dual-nanowire heterostructure grown on Ge(1 1 1) substrate are systematically analyzed within the framework of anisotropic elasticity and lattice dynamical theory. Based on the experimental samples grown by molecular beam epitaxy, the partially covered dual nanowires standing along 〈1 1 0〉 direction are modeled and the heterostructure presents effective elastic strain relaxation due to the free surfaces. The simulations show that the Raman shift of GeSn nanowire is mainly affected by the Sn content while the influences of strain become less important with the increase of thickness ratio. For Ge nanowire, the peak of Raman spectrum merely moves with Sn content, but the spectrum possesses asymmetric broadening induced by the non-uniform strain distribution. The red-shift and intensity reduction of the total Raman spectrum of dual nanowires are observed when the Sn content increases. Moreover, an analytic fitting expression for Raman peak position is obtained based on the numerical results and is expected to serve as a reference to estimate the Sn content in GeSn/Ge dual-nanowire heterostructure.