Research of the Impact of Silicon Doping with Holmium on its Structure and Properties Using Raman Scattering Spectroscopy Methods

Each crystal structure has its own phonon modes, which appear in the Raman spectrum of Raman scattering. In the case of silicon, phonon modes associated with the diamond structure of silicon can be detected. In a Raman spectrum, the position of the lines, their intensity, and the width of the lines are usually measured. Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying crystalline materials at the molecular level, and its application in the study of semiconductors and nanomaterials provides important information about their structure and properties. In this study, the spectra of two types of silicon were analyzed: n-Si and p-Si, as well as their doped analogues n-Si and p-Si. The obtained Raman imaging results demonstrated spatially varying nanocrystallinity and microcrystallinity of the samples. The n-Si and p-Si spectra indicate the appearance of a Raman band at 525 cm-1 with a shift of -5 cm-1 and +5 cm-1, respectively, relative to the position of the silicon substrate peak, indicating the presence of tensile strain in the materials. The absence of other impurity peaks indicates the high purity of the n-Si and p-Si samples. The holmium doped Si material exhibits additional peaks in the Raman spectra, which is attributed to the presence of vacancies and defects in the newly formed Si-Ho compositions. The results of the analysis of the spectra indicate the influence of doping silicon with holmium on its structure and properties, forming new bonds and defects.