We have studied the evolution of valence-band spectra during Si layer thinning in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in order to observe the quantum-confinement effect in two-dimensional Si. It was clearly observed that the valence-band maximum (VBM) shifts towards higher binding energies with decreasing Si thickness (< ∼10 nm). The VBM shifts were ascribed to vertical confinement of heavy holes in the quantum-well structure of a vacuum/single-crystalline Si/buried amorphous SiO2.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.