Far- and Deep-UV Spectroscopy of Semiconductor Nanoparticles Measured Based on Attenuated Total Reflectance spectroscopy

Far- and deep-ultraviolet spectra (150-300 nm) of semiconductor nanoparticles (zinc oxide and zinc sulfide) are successfully measured by using attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy, and analyzed using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. The obtained spectra show good consistency with earlier synchrotron-radiation spectra and with theoretical calculations. The FDTD simulation results show that the present system collected the correct spectra. In the present system, the obtained spectra are affected by the real part n of the complex refractive index more strongly than the imaginary part k. It is also revealed both experimentally and theoretically that spectral intensities of the semiconductor nanoparticles are approximately one tenth those of liquid samples. These results provide insights into the far- and deep-ultraviolet spectroscopy based on the ATR system, and show the general applicability of our original ATR spectroscopy to semiconductor nanoparticles. The system needs neither high vacuum nor much space, and enables rapid and systematic investigation of the electronic states of various materials.