Temperature dependent dynamics of photoexcited carriers of Si2Te3 nanowires

TL;DR

This study investigates how temperature and excitation power affect the dynamics of photoexcited carriers in Si2Te3 nanowires, revealing temperature-dependent decay times and mechanisms relevant for optoelectronic device design.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of temperature-dependent carrier decay mechanisms in Si2Te3 nanowires, highlighting the roles of thermal quenching and non-radiative recombination.

Findings

Long decay times (>10 ns) at low temperatures

Shorter decay times (<2 ns) at room temperature

Faster decay at higher excitation powers

Abstract

We report an optical study of the dynamics of photoexcited carriers in Si2Te3 nanowires at various temperatures and excitation powers. Si2Te3 nanowires were synthesized, by using gold as a catalyst, on a silicon substrate by the chemical vapor deposition method. The photoluminescence spectrum of Si2Te3 nanowires was primary dominated by defect and surface states related emission at both low and room temperatures. We observed that the decay time of photoexcited carries was very long (> 10 ns) at low temperatures and became shorter (< 2 ns) at room temperature. Further, the carrier decay time became faster at high excitation rates. The acceleration of the photoexcited carrier decay rates indicate the thermal quenching along with the non-radiative recombination at high temperature and excitation power. Our results have quantitatively elucidated decay mechanisms that are important towards understanding and controlling of the electronic states in Si2Te3 nanostructures for optoelectronic applications.