Raman spectra of ZnSe-ZnTe strained-layer superlattice

Various experimental and theoretical studies have been carried out on the phonon modes of III-V compounds semiconductor superlattices and II-VI SLS. Olego et al. have reported the confined LO modes in the ZnSe layer of the Zn-SeSxSe1-x SLS with resonant Raman scattering at low temperatures. Menendez et al. obtained the confined LOm modes in the CdTe-ZnTe SLS with the near resonance Raman scattering at 10 K. We report, for the first time, the confined LOm modes of the ZnSe-ZnTe SLS. The measurements were performed at room temperatures and under off-resonance conditions. There are a lot of studies on the strain in the SLS. Raman scattering provides a powerful techniques for the study of crystalline quality and especially strain fields of SLSs. By measuring phonon frequencies and their shifts, we can determine the strength of the strains in superlattice layers. In this paper, we report the strain effect on the phonon modes and the critical thickness of individual layers in ZnSe-ZnTe SLSs.