Ge nanoclusters (NCs), synthesized by ion implantation and annealing up to 900 °C, result small (∼2 nm) and amorphous in Si3N4, crystalline and much larger in SiO2. The NCs ripening and crystallization kinetics in Si3N4 is retarded by larger interfacial energy and lower diffusivity of Ge in comparison to SiO2. Ge NCs absorb light more efficiently when embedded in Si3N4 than in SiO2. A significant effect of the barrier height on absorption was evidenced, in agreement with effective mass theory predictions. The smaller bandgap of Ge NCs embedded in Si3N4 and their closeness is promising features for light harvesting applications.
With the aim of improving our knowledge about their nature, we conduct a comparative study on a sample of long-rising Type II supernovae (SNe) resembling SN 1987A. To do so, we deduce various scaling relations from different analytic models of H-rich SNe, discussing their robustness and feasibility. Then we use the best relations in terms of accuracy to infer the SN progenitor’s physical properties at the explosion for the selected sample of SN 1987A-like objects, deriving energies of ∼0.5-15 foe, radii of ∼0.2-100 × 1012 cm, and ejected masses of ∼15-55M⊙. Although the sample may be too small to draw any final conclusion, these results suggest that (a) SN 1987A-like objects have parameters at explosion covering a wide range of values; (b) the main parameter determining their distribution is the explosion energy; (c) a high-mass (≳ 30 M⊙ ), high-energy (≳ 10 foe) tail of events, linked to extended progenitors with radii at explosion ∼1013-1014 cm, challenge standard theories of neutrino-driven core-collapse and stellar evolution. We also find a correlation between the amount of 56Ni in the ejecta of the SN 1987A-like objects and the spectrophotometric features of the SN at maximum, that may represent a tool for estimating the amount of 56Ni in the SN ejecta whitout having information on the tail luminosity.
Photon absorption in the solar energy range has been investigated in semiconductor nanostructures. Different synthesis techniques (magnetron sputtering, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, ion implantation) followed by thermal annealing, have been employed to fabricate Si or Ge nanoclusters (1-25 nm in size) embedded in SiO2or Si3N4matrices. The thermal evolution in the formation of Si nanoclusters (NCs) in SiO2was shown to depend on the synthesis technique and to significantly affect the light absorption. Experimentally measured values of optical bandgap (EgOPT) in Si NCs evidence the quantum confinement effect which significantly increases the value ofEgOPTin comparison to bulk Si.EgOPTspans over a large range (1.6-2.6 eV) depending on the Si content, on the deposition technique and, in a most significant way, on the structural phase of NC. Amorphous Si NCs have a lowerEgOPTin comparison to crystalline ones. The matrix effect on the synthesis and light absorption in semiconductor NCs was investigated for Ge NCs. Large difference in the Ge NCs synthesis occurred when using SiO2or Si3N4matrices, essentially due to a much lower Ge diffusivity in the latter, which slows down the formation and growth of Ge NCs in comparison to silica matrix. Light absorption in NCs is also shown to be largely affected by the host matrix. Actually, Ge NCs embedded in Si3N4material absorb photons in the solar energy range with a higher efficiency than in silica, due to the different confinement effect. In fact, Si3N4host offers a lower potential barrier to photogenerated carriers in comparison to silica, thus a lower confinement effect is expected, leading to slightly smaller optical bandgap. These effects have been presented and discussed for potential application in light harvesting purposes.
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