Quantum confinement effects on the optical phonons of CdTe quantum dots

We present Raman-scattering results for CdTe nanocrystals in doped glasses which clearly show the confinement effects on the phonon spectra as a function of the quantum-dot size. We observed optical phonon modes, surface phonons and some of their overtone combinations. We show that the surface-phonon scattering intensity increases as the quantum-dot size decreases. Our results also show a decrease in the electron-phonon coupling as the nanocrystal size is decreased. These confinement effects are observed by changing the laser excitation energy, and thus by tuning to resonance with the optical transitions for quantum dots of different sizes within their broad size distribution in semiconductor-doped glasses. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.2351103110