Structural influence of erbium centers on silicon nanocrystal phase transitions

Two different types of erbium-doped silicon nanocrystals, along with undoped, oxide-capped Si dots, are employed to probe the impact of the impurity center location on phase transition pressure. Using a combination of high pressure optical absorption, micro-Raman, and x-ray diffraction measurements in a diamond anvil cell, it is demonstrated that the magnitude of this phase transition elevation is strongly dictated by the average spatial location of impurity centers introduced into the nanocrystal along with the interfacial quality of the surrounding oxide.