Analysis of Structural & Optical Properties of Aluminium Nanoparticles decorated on SiO_x Nanowires by GLAD Technique

In this paper, Glancing angle Deposition (GLAD) Technique have been employed for the growth of Al Nanoparticles (NPs) decorated SiO_x Nanowires (NWs) using e-beam evaporation system. The FE-SEM and HR-TEM results reveal the successful growth of Al NPs and SiO_x Nanowires above the buffer layer of In₂O₃ TF. The measured length of SiO_x NWs is ∼ 450 nm and the thickness of In₂O₃ TF (buffer layer) is ∼100 nm. The EDAX analysis confirms the presence of Oxygen (O), Aluminium (Al), Silicon (Si), and Indium (In). The SAED analysis shows the polycrystalline nature of In₂O₃ and Al which is correlated to the XRD peaks. Also, XRD result confirms the amorphous nature of SiO_x NWs. The optical absorption of In₂O₃ TF/SiO_x NWs/Al NPs is found to be ∼1.3 fold compared to In₂O₃ TF/SiO_x NWs, which may be due to the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) effect of Al NPs on the sample. The PL analysis also reveals the photon emission enhancement from the sample with Al NPs. Therefore, this growth technique which enhanced the optical properties may be applicable in a wide range of optoelectronic applications. (paper)