Polarized Raman backscattering selection rules for (hhl)-oriented diamond- and zincblende-type crystals

Due to their interesting orientation-dependent properties, the ability to grow high-index semiconductor crystals and nanostructures extends the design palette for applications based on these materials. Notably, a source containing a systematic reporting of what the Raman tensors are for an arbitrary high-index zincblende material is yet to appear in the literature. Herein, we present the polarized Raman backscattering selection rules for arbitrary (hhl)-oriented diamond-and zincblende-type crystal surfaces and verify their correctness through experiment (up to (115)). Considering the many degrees of freedom available to common polarized micro-Raman scattering instruments, and the unique local orientation of the probed material, we further examine a range of consequences imposed by the selection rules for the Raman backscattering method. Published by AIP Publishing.