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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials

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Published on: September 26, 2014

Continuously Controlled Optical Band Gap in Oxide Semiconductor Thin Films.

Andreas Herklotz¹, Stefania Florina Rus², Thomas Zac Ward¹

¹Materials Science and Technology Division, ORNL , Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, United States.

|February 3, 2016

Summary

Researchers controlled the band gap of tin dioxide (SnO2) films using uniaxial strain. This method allows continuous tuning, unlike traditional methods, offering new possibilities for semiconductor applications.

Keywords:

Strain doping ellipsometry helium ion implantation tin oxide uniaxial strain

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Last Updated: Mar 26, 2026

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Published on: May 29, 2018

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Nanotechnology

Background:

Tin dioxide (SnO2) is a key semiconducting oxide with a fixed optical band gap.
Traditional strain engineering methods, like epitaxy, induce multidirectional strain, limiting band gap tunability.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate continuous control over the optical band gap of SnO2 films.
To investigate the effects of uniaxial strain on the electronic band structure of SnO2.

Main Methods:

Inducing single-axis lattice expansion in nanometric SnO2 films via low-energy helium implantation.
Utilizing density functional theory (DFT) calculations to model strain effects.
Performing charge density calculations to analyze orbital hybridization.

Main Results:

Achieved continuous, linear downward shift in the band gap of SnO2 films as a function of out-of-plane lattice expansion.
DFT calculations confirmed that uniaxial strain has a distinct effect on the band structure compared to multi-axis strain.
Demonstrated that uniaxial strain can induce orbital hybridization not accessible through traditional methods.

Conclusions:

Single-axis lattice expansion offers a novel approach for precise band gap engineering in SnO2.
Uniaxial strain provides a fundamentally different and more controllable method for modifying semiconductor properties.
This technique opens new avenues for designing advanced semiconductor materials with tailored electronic properties.