Defects in crystals studied by Raman scattering

Abstract Raman studies of crystal defects are reviewed. Raman spectroscopy is a powerful technique and has been used widely for investigating disordered structures. The degree of disorder in a crystal is quantitatively evaluated in terms of the phonon correlation length. The asymmetric Raman line shapes in defective crystals such as microcrystals, ion-implanted semiconductors are well reproduced by the spatial correlation (SC) model. The effect of alloying induced-potential fluctuations on Raman scattering is also explained within the framework of the SC model. In disordered graphite, the in-plane phonon correlation length is obtained from the relative intensity ratio of the disorder induced peak. The initial lattice disordering rates and the relaxation rates of disorder are determined, using real-time Raman measurements during ion irradiation in a scale of seconds. In this way, the phonon confinement due to the local defects is observed in the kinetic manner. Localized vibrational modes of defects in crystals are also described. In particular, Raman observation of the hydrogen molecule in crystalline semiconductors is discussed in detail.