- Open Access
Analysis of phonon decay processes in corundum structured and by temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy
Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 074603 – Published 31 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/vxv3-wrh3
Abstract
Temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy was employed on and to determine the phonon decay factors associated with the decay of phonons into two and three phonons. Differently oriented corundum structured and samples were analyzed by temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy between 80 and 300 K. The shift of the resonance frequency of the Raman active phonon modes was investigated by a model function including the thermal expansion of the lattice and the decay of the phonons into two and three phonons with lower energy. We obtain the phonon decay factors and representing the decay into two and three phonons, respectively. The findings are in reasonable agreement with the existing literature on and .
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Article Text
Supplemental Material
References (73)
- T. Koida, H. Fujiwara, and M. Kondo, High-mobility hydrogen-doped transparent conductive oxide for a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 93, 851 (2009).
- O. Bierwagen, Indium oxide—a transparent, wide-band gap semiconductor for (opto)electronic applications, Semicond. Sci. Technol. 30, 024001 (2015).
- Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films: Fabrication, properties, post-deposition, trends in semiconductor research, Trends in Semiconductor Research, edited by T. B. Elliot (Nova Science Publishers, New York, 2005), pp. 1–32.
- P. Lippens and U. Muehlfeld, Indium tin oxide (ITO): Sputter deposition processes, in Handbook of Visual Display Technology, edited by J. Chen, W. Cranton, and M. Fihn (Springer, Berlin, 2012), pp. 779–794
- Y. Shigesato, In based TCOs, in Handbook of Transparent Conductors, edited by D. S. Ginley (Springer US, Boston, 2011), pp. 149–169.
- K. Ellmer, R. Mientus, and S. Seeger, Metallic oxides (ITO, ZnO, , ), in Transparent Conductive Materials (Wiley, Weinheim, Germany, 2018), Chap. 2.1, pp. 31–80.
- J. A. Spencer, A. L. Mock, A. G. Jacobs, M. Schubert, Y. Zhang, and M. J. Tadjer, A review of band structure and material properties of transparent conducting and semiconducting oxides: , , , ZnO, , CdO, NiO, CuO, and , Appl. Phys. Rev. 9, 011315 (2022).
- I. Hamberg and C. G. Granqvist, Evaporated Sn‐doped films: Basic optical properties and applications to energy‐efficient windows, J. Appl. Phys. 60, R123 (1986).
- J. S. Lee, Y.-J. Kwack, and W.-S. Choi, Inkjet-printed thin-film transistor below 200°C, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 5, 11578 (2013).
- Z. Yuan, X. Zhu, X. Wang, X. Cai, B. Zhang, D. Qiu, and H. Wu, Annealing effects of thin films on electrical properties and application in thin film transistors, Thin Solid Films 519, 3254 (2011).
- P. K. Nayak, M. N. Hedhili, D. Cha, and H. N. Alshareef, High performance thin film transistors using chemically derived aluminum oxide dielectric, Appl. Phys. Lett. 103, 033518 (2013).
- J. Michel, D. Splith, J. Rombach, A. Papadogianni, T. Berthold, S. Krischok, M. Grundmann, O. Bierwagen, H. von Wenckstern, and M. Himmerlich, Processing strategies for high-performance Schottky contacts on n-type oxide semiconductors: Insights from , ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11, 27073 (2019).
- H. von Wenckstern, D. Splith, F. Schmidt, M. Grundmann, O. Bierwagen, and J. S. Speck, Schottky contacts to , APL Mater. 2, 046104 (2014).
- J.-H. Kim, H.-J. Seok, H.-J. Seo, T.-Y. Seong, J. H. Heo, S.-H. Lim, K.-J. Ahn, and H.-K. Kim, Flexible ITO films with atomically flat surfaces for high performance flexible perovskite solar cells, Nanoscale 10, 20587 (2018).
- R. Sharma, R. S. Mane, S.-K. Min, and S.-H. Han, Optimization of growth of nano-spheres thin films by electrodeposition for dye-sensitized solar cells, J. Alloys Compd. 479, 840 (2009).
- M. Himmerlich, C. Y. Wang, V. Cimalla, O. Ambacher, and S. Krischok, Surface properties of stoichiometric and defect-rich indium oxide films grown by MOCVD, J. Appl. Phys. 111, 093704 (2012).
- C. W. Tang and S. A. VanSlyke, Organic electroluminescent diodes, Appl. Phys. Lett. 51, 913 (1987).
- M. T. Hardy, C. O. Holder, D. F. Feezell, S. Nakamura, J. S. Speck, D. A. Cohen, and S. P. DenBaars, Indium-tin-oxide clad blue and true green semipolar InGaN/GaN laser diodes, Appl. Phys. Lett. 103, 081103 (2013).
- M. Feneberg, J. Nixdorf, C. Lidig, R. Goldhahn, Z. Galazka, O. Bierwagen, and J. S. Speck, Many-electron effects on the dielectric function of cubic : Effective electron mass, band nonparabolicity, band gap renormalization, and Burstein-Moss shift, Phys. Rev. B 93, 045203 (2016).
- C. Kranert, R. Schmidt-Grund, and M. Grundmann, Raman active phonon modes of cubic , Phys. Rapid Res. Lett. 8, 554 (2014).
- D. Kim and S. Lee, Persistent metallic Sn-doped epitaxial ultrathin films with enhanced infrared transmittance, Sci. Rep. 10, 4957 (2020).
- K. O. Egbo, A. E. Adesina, C. V. Ezeh, C. P. Liu, and K. M. Yu, Effects of free carriers on the optical properties of high mobility transition metal doped transparent conductors, Phys. Rev. Mater. 5, 094603 (2021).
- P. D. C. King, T. D. Veal, D. J. Payne, A. Bourlange, R. G. Egdell, and C. F. McConville, Surface electron accumulation and the charge neutrality level in , Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 116808 (2008).
- M. Ramsteiner, J. Feldl, and Z. Galazka, Signatures of free carriers in Raman spectra of cubic , Semicond. Sci. Technol. 35, 015017 (2020).
- A. Klein, A. Frebel, K. A. Creutz, and B. Huang, Origin and quantification of the ultimate carrier concentration limits in and Sn-doped , Phys. Rev. Mater. 8, 044601 (2024).
- C. Körber, V. Krishnakumar, A. Klein, G. Panaccione, P. Torelli, A. Walsh, J. L. F. Da Silva, S.-H. Wei, R. G. Egdell, and D. J. Payne, Electronic structure of and Sn-doped by hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, Phys. Rev. B 81, 165207 (2010).
- K. H. L. Zhang, R. G. Egdell, F. Offi, S. Iacobucci, L. Petaccia, S. Gorovikov, and P. D. C. King, Microscopic origin of electron accumulation in , Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 056803 (2013).
- L. Xu, B. Fauqué, Z. Zhu, Z. Galazka, K. Irmscher, and K. Behnia, Thermal conductivity of bulk single crystals, Phys. Rev. Mater. 5, 014603 (2021).
- D. R. Hagleitner, M. Menhart, P. Jacobson, S. Blomberg, K. Schulte, E. Lundgren, M. Kubicek, J. Fleig, F. Kubel, C. Puls, A. Limbeck, H. Hutter, L. A. Boatner, M. Schmid, and U. Diebold, Bulk and surface characterization of (001) single crystals, Phys. Rev. B 85, 115441 (2012).
- I. Chatratin, F. P. Sabino, P. Reunchan, S. Limpijumnong, J. B. Varley, C. G. Van de Walle, and A. Janotti, Role of point defects in the electrical and optical properties of , Phys. Rev. Mater. 3, 074604 (2019).
- P. Agoston and K. Albe, Thermodynamic stability, stoichiometry, and electronic structure of bcc- surfaces, Phys. Rev. B 84, 045311 (2011).
- M. F. Bekheet, M. R. Schwarz, S. Lauterbach, H.-J. Kleebe, P. Kroll, R. Riedel, and A. Gurlo, Orthorhombic : A metastable polymorph of indium sesquioxide, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 52, 6531 (2013).
- T. de Boer, M. F. Bekheet, A. Gurlo, R. Riedel, and A. Moewes, Band gap and electronic structure of cubic, rhombohedral, and orthorhombic polymorphs: Experiment and theory, Phys. Rev. B 93, 155205 (2016).
- F. Komine, M. Tomic, T. Gerds, and J. R. Strub, Influence of different adhesive resin cements on the fracture strength of aluminum oxide ceramic posterior crowns, J. Prosthet. Dent. 92, 359 (2004).
- C.-W. Chang and C.-P. Kuo, Evaluation of surface roughness in laser-assisted machining of aluminum oxide ceramics with Taguchi method, Int. J. Mach. Tools Manufacture 47, 141 (2007).
- E. Richter, C. Hennig, M. Weyers, F. Habel, J.-D. Tsay, W.-Y. Liu, P. Brückner, F. Scholz, Y. Makarov, A. Segal, and J. Kaeppeler, Reactor and growth process optimization for growth of thick GaN layers on sapphire substrates by HVPE, J. Cryst. Growth 277, 6 (2005).
- K. Hiramatsu, H. Amano, I. Akasaki, H. Kato, N. Koide, and K. Manabe, MOVPE growth of GaN on a misoriented sapphire substrate, J. Cryst. Growth 107, 509 (1991).
- Y. Cheng, Y. Xu, Z. Li, J. Zhang, D. Chen, Q. Feng, S. Xu, H. Zhou, J. Zhang, Y. Hao, and C. Zhang, Heteroepitaxial growth of thin films on a-, c- and r-plane sapphire substrates by low-cost mist-CVD method, J. Alloys Compd. 831, 154776 (2020).
- D. Yang, B. Kim, T. H. Eom, Y. Park, and H. W. Jang, Epitaxial growth of alpha gallium oxide thin films on sapphire substrates for electronic and optoelectronic devices: Progress and perspective, Electron. Mater. Lett. 18, 113 (2022).
- S. Fujita and K. Kaneko, Epitaxial growth of corundum-structured wide band gap III-oxide semiconductor thin films, J. Cryst. Growth 401, 588 (2014).
- S. Fujita, M. Oda, K. Kaneko, and T. Hitora, Evolution of corundum-structured III-oxide semiconductors: Growth, properties, and devices, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 55, 1202A3 (2016).
- R. Cuscó, T. Yamaguchi, E. Kluth, R. Goldhahn, and M. Feneberg, Optical properties of corundum-structured , Appl. Phys. Lett. 121, 062106 (2022).
- A. K. Harman, S. Ninomiya, and S. Adachi, Optical constants of sapphire () single crystals, J. Appl. Phys. 76, 8032 (1994).
- D. D. Minh, N. L. M. An, K.-H. Kim, S.-Y. Bae, and M.-T. Ha, Corundum alloys: First-principles study, epitaxial growth and thermal annealing, ChemPhysMater 5, 232 (2026).
- B. K. C. Bhupendra, V. Barone, S. Kandel, M. Sitaula, B. Dumre, R. Ellingson, and S. Khare, Computational investigation of structural, electronic, and optical properties of alloys as candidates for emitter layer application in solar cells, Physica B 715, 417615 (2025).
- M. S. Williams, M. Alonso-Orts, M. Schowalter, A. Karg, S. Raghuvansy, J. P. McCandless, D. Jena, A. Rosenauer, M. Eickhoff, and P. Vogt, Growth, catalysis, and faceting of and on -plane by molecular beam epitaxy, APL Mater. 12, 011120 (2024).
- E. Kluth, M. Fay, C. Parmenter, J. Roberts, E. Smith, C. Stoppiello, F. Massabuau, R. Goldhahn, and M. Feneberg, Redshift and amplitude increase in the dielectric function of corundum-like , Appl. Phys. Lett. 122, 092101 (2023).
- S.-i. Kan, S. Takemoto, K. Kaneko, I. Takahashi, M. Sugimoto, T. Shinohe, and S. Fujita, Electrical properties of / pn heterojunction diode and band alignment of the heterostructure, Appl. Phys. Lett. 113, 212104 (2018).
- K. Kaneko, S. Fujita, T. Shinohe, and K. Tanaka, Progress in for practical device applications, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 62, SF0803 (2023).
- S. Khalid and A. Janotti, Electronic properties of corundum-like and alloys, Appl. Phys. Lett. 125, 202102 (2024).
- P. D. C. King, T. D. Veal, F. Fuchs, C. Y. Wang, D. J. Payne, A. Bourlange, H. Zhang, G. R. Bell, V. Cimalla, O. Ambacher, R. G. Egdell, F. Bechstedt, and C. F. McConville, Band gap, electronic structure, and surface electron accumulation of cubic and rhombohedral , Phys. Rev. B 79, 205211 (2009).
- F. Fuchs and F. Bechstedt, Indium-oxide polymorphs from first principles: Quasiparticle electronic states, Phys. Rev. B 77, 155107 (2008).
- C. Ribeiro da Silva, F. Bechstedt, L. Kühl Teles, and M. Marques, Electronic and optical properties of highly complex and polymorphs using approximate quasiparticle dft + A – 1/2, J. Phys. Chem. C 129, 3179 (2025).
- C. Y. Wang, V. Cimalla, H. Romanus, T. Kups, G. Ecke, T. Stauden, M. Ali, V. Lebedev, J. Pezoldt, and O. Ambacher, Phase selective growth and properties of rhombohedral and cubic indium oxide, Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 011904 (2006).
- C. Wang, V. Cimalla, H. Romanus, T. Kups, M. Niebelschütz, and O. Ambacher, Tuning of electrical and structural properties of indium oxide films grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition, Thin Solid Films 515, 6611 (2007).
- K. H. L. Zhang, V. K. Lazarov, P. L. Galindo, F. E. Oropeza, D. J. Payne, H. H.-C. Lai, and R. G. Egdell, Domain matching epitaxial growth of thin films on (0001), Cryst. Growth Design 12, 1000 (2012).
- H. Nishinaka and M. Yoshimoto, Mist chemical vapor deposition of single-phase metastable rhombohedral indium tin oxide epitaxial thin films with high electrical conductivity and transparency on various substrates, Cryst. Growth Design 18, 4022 (2018).
- T. Yamaguchi, S. Takahashi, T. Kiguchi, A. Sekiguchi, K. Kaneko, S. Fujita, H. Nagai, M. Sato, T. Onuma, and T. Honda, Impact of hydrochloric acid on the epitaxial growth of films on (0001) substrates by mist CVD, Appl. Phys. Express 13, 075504 (2020).
- A. Taguchi, S. Takahashi, A. Sekiguchi, K. Kaneko, S. Fujita, T. Onuma, T. Honda, and T. Yamaguchi, Mist chemical vapor deposition growth of films using indium oxide powder as source precursor, Phys. Status Solidi B 259, 2100414 (2022).
- A. Taguchi, T. Yamamoto, K. Kaneko, K. Goto, T. Onuma, T. Honda, Y. Kumagai, S. Fujita, and T. Yamaguchi, Growth of films with different concentrations of powder used as source precursor by mist chemical vapor deposition, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 62, SF1023 (2023).
- B. García-Domene, J. A. Sans, F. J. Manjón, S. V. Ovsyannikov, L. S. Dubrovinsky, D. Martinez-Garcia, O. Gomis, D. Errandonea, H. Moutaabbid, Y. Le Godec, H. M. Ortiz, A. Muñoz, P. Rodríguez-Hernández, and C. Popescu, Synthesis and high-pressure study of corundum-type , J. Phys. Chem. C 119, 29076 (2015).
- F. Liu, P. Parajuli, R. Rao, P. C. Wei, A. Karunarathne, S. Bhattacharya, R. Podila, J. He, B. Maruyama, G. Priyadarshan, J. R. Gladden, Y. Y. Chen, and A. M. Rao, Phonon anharmonicity in single-crystalline SnSe, Phys. Rev. B 98, 224309 (2018).
- B. Wei, Q. Sun, C. Li, and J. Hong, Phonon anharmonicity: A pertinent review of recent progress and perspective, Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. 64, 117001 (2021).
- J. Grümbel, R. Goldhahn, D.-W. Jeon, and M. Feneberg, Anharmonicity of lattice vibrations in thin film investigated by temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy, Appl. Phys. Lett. 120, 022104 (2022).
- R. Cuscó, A. Taguchi, and T. Yamaguchi, Phonon anharmonicity in : A Raman scattering study of the modes, J. Alloys Compd. 1020, 179350 (2025).
- A. Schauer, Thermal expansion, Grueneisen parameter, and temperature dependence of lattice vibration frequencies of aluminum oxide, Can. J. Phys. 43, 523 (1965).
- S. P. S. Porto and R. S. Krishnan, Raman effect of corundum, J. Chem. Phys. 47, 1009 (1967).
- R. Cuscó, N. Domènech-Amador, T. Hatakeyama, T. Yamaguchi, T. Honda, and L. Artús, Lattice dynamics of a mist-chemical vapor deposition-grown corundum-like single crystal, J. Appl. Phys. 117, 185706 (2015).
- See Supplemental Material at http://link.aps.org/supplemental/10.1103/vxv3-wrh3 for visualizations of the Raman active phonon modes (1), (4), and (5), which includes Refs. [42, 73].
- A. Link, K. Bitzer, W. Limmer, R. Sauer, C. Kirchner, V. Schwegler, M. Kamp, D. G. Ebling, and K. W. Benz, Temperature dependence of the and (LO) phonons in GaN and AlN, J. Appl. Phys. 86, 6256 (1999).
- M. Balkanski, R. F. Wallis, and E. Haro, Anharmonic effects in light scattering due to optical phonons in silicon, Phys. Rev. B 28, 1928 (1983).
- J. Feldl, M. Feneberg, A. Papadogianni, J. Lähnemann, T. Nagata, O. Bierwagen, R. Goldhahn, and M. Ramsteiner, Bandgap widening and behavior of Raman-active phonon modes of cubic single-crystalline alloy films, Appl. Phys. Lett. 119, 042101 (2021).
- A. Kokalj, XCrySDen - a new program for displaying crystalline structures and electron densities, J. Mol. Graphics Modell. 17, 176 (1999).