The use of phonon and plasmon interface modes as diagnostic tools for characterising low dimensional semiconductor structures

Far infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy is a well-established technique for investigating the response functions of phonons and plasmons in bulk and low-dimensional semiconductors. When oblique incidence measurements are made in p-polarisation on low dimensional semiconductors, either by conventional reflection spectroscopy or by attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy, additional spectral features are observed associated with Berreman or Brewster interface modes. We demonstrate that these modes can be used as diagnostic tools for obtaining detailed information on the structural and electronic properties of the structures.