| Phonon properties and electron-phonon interaction of {dollar}CdSsb{lcub}x{rcub}Sesb{lcub}1-x{rcub}{dollar} nanocrystals embedded in a glass matrix are studied in this thesis. The main experiment used is Raman scattering. First, the momentum conservation problem in Raman scattering is treated quantum mechanically. The model developed there is consistent with models used in one-dimension confined system. The discrepancy between the experimental results and the prediction of earlier models can be explained by our model. Second, electron-phonon interaction in {dollar}CdSsb{lcub}x{rcub}Sesb{lcub}1-x{rcub}{dollar} nanocrystals is studied by Raman scattering. By measuring and analyzing first- and second-order Raman spectra, the electric field effect on Raman spectra, we are able to conclude that the dominant mechanism of electron-phonon interaction in {dollar}CdSsb{lcub}x{rcub}Sesb{lcub}1-x{rcub}{dollar} nanocrystals is the Frohlich interaction. Third, Raman scattering as a compositional probe of II-VI ternary semiconductor nanocrystals is developed. The experimental result demonstrates that Raman scattering can be used for the rapid determination of crystallite composition of {dollar}CdSsb{lcub}x{rcub}Sesb{lcub}1-x{rcub}{dollar} nanocrystal/glass composite systems. This technique is especially useful for S-rich materials and for very small crystallite systems for which the traditional technique, x-ray diffraction is ineffective. Finally, we described the results and analysis of other optical measurements on {dollar}CdSsb{lcub}x{rcub}Sesb{lcub}1-x{rcub}{dollar} nanocrystals. We show that optical absorption and photoluminescence data can be analyzed within the framework of a simple quantum-size theory to deduce indirectly the particle size distribution of {dollar}CdSsb{lcub}x{rcub}Sesb{lcub}1-x{rcub}{dollar} nanocrystal/glass composite systems. |
