Mapping the "forbidden" transverse-optical phonon in single strained silicon (100) nanowire

The accurate manipulation of strain in silicon nanowires can unveil new fundamental properties and enable novel or enhanced functionalities. To exploit these potentialities, it is essential to overcome major challenges at the fabrication and characterization levels. With this perspective, we have investigated the strain behavior in nanowires fabricated by patterning and etching of 15 nm thick tensile strained silicon (100) membranes. To this end, we have developed a method to excite the "forbidden" transverse-optical (TO) phonons in single tensile strained silicon nanowires using high-resolution polarized Raman spectroscopy. Detecting this phonon is critical for precise analysis of strain in nanoscale systems. The intensity of the measured Raman spectra is analyzed based on three-dimensional field distribution of radial, azimuthal, and linear polarizations focused by a high numerical aperture lens. The effects of sample geometry on the sensitivity of TO measurement are addressed. A significantly higher sensitivity is demonstrated for nanowires as compared to thin layers. In-plane and out-of-plane strain profiles in single nanowires are obtained through the simultaneous probe of local TO and longitudinal-optical (LO) phonons. New insights into strained nanowires mechanical properties are inferred from the measured strain profiles.