Electric Field Tunable Interlayer Relaxation Process and Interlayer Coupling in WSe2/Graphene Heterostructures

Transition metal dichalcogenides van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructures present fascinating optical and electronic phenomena, and bear tremendous significance for electronic and optoelectronic applications. As the significant merits in vdWs heterostructures, the interlayer relaxation of excitons and interlayer coupling at the heterointerface reflect the dynamic behavior of charge transfer and the coupled electronic/structural characteristics, respectively, which may give rise to new physics induced by quantum coupling. In this work, upon tuning the photoluminescence (PL) properties of WSe₂/graphene and WSe₂/MoS₂/graphene heterostructures by virtue of electric field, it is demonstrated that the interlayer relaxation of excitons at the heterointerface in WSe₂/graphene, which is even stronger than that in MoS₂/graphene and WSe₂/MoS₂ , plays a dominant role in PL tuning in WSe₂/graphene, while the carrier population in WSe₂ induced by electric field has a minor contribution. In addition, it is discovered that the interlayer coupling between monolayer WSe₂ and graphene is enhanced under high electric field, which breaks the momentum conservation of first order Raman‐allowed phonons in graphene, yielding the enhanced Raman scattering of defects in graphene. The interplay between electric field and vdWs heterostructures may provide versatile approaches to tune the intrinsic electronic and optical properties of the heterostructures.     

Asymmetric Schottky Contacts in Bilayer MoS2 Field Effect Transistors

The high‐bias electrical characteristics of back‐gated field‐effect transistors with chemical vapor deposition synthesized bilayer MoS₂ channel and Ti Schottky contacts are discussed. It is found that oxidized Ti contacts on MoS₂ form rectifying junctions with ≈0.3 to 0.5 eV Schottky barrier height. To explain the rectifying output characteristics of the transistors, a model is proposed based on two slightly asymmetric back‐to‐back Schottky barriers, where the highest current arises from image force barrier lowering at the electrically forced junction, while the reverse current is due to Schottky‐barrier‐limited injection at the grounded junction. The device achieves a photoresponsivity greater than 2.5 A W^?1 under 5 mW cm^?2 white‐LED light. By comparing two‐ and four‐probe measurements, it is demonstrated that the hysteresis and persistent photoconductivity exhibited by the transistor are peculiarities of the MoS₂ channel rather than effects of the Ti/MoS₂ interface.     

Large‐Area Schottky Barrier Transistors Based on Vertically Stacked Graphene–Metal Oxide Heterostructures

The fabrication of all‐transparent flexible vertical Schottky barrier (SB) transistors and logic gates based on graphene–metal oxide–metal heterostructures and ion gel gate dielectrics is demonstrated. The vertical SB transistor structure is formed by (i) vertically sandwiching a solution‐processed indium‐gallium‐zinc‐oxide (IGZO) semiconductor layer between graphene (source) and metallic (drain) electrodes and (ii) employing a separate coplanar gate electrode bridged with a vertical channel through an ion gel. The channel current is modulated by tuning the Schottky barrier height across the graphene–IGZO junction under an applied external gate bias. The ion gel gate dielectric with high specific capacitance enables modulation of the Schottky barrier height at the graphene–IGZO junction over 0.87 eV using a voltage below 2 V. The resulting vertical devices show high current densities (18.9 A cm^?2) and on–off current ratios (>10⁴) at low voltages. The simple structure of the unit transistor enables the successful fabrication of low‐power logic gates based on device assemblies, such as the NOT, NAND, and NOR gates, prepared on a flexible substrate. The facile, large‐area, and room‐temperature deposition of both semiconducting metal oxide and gate insulators integrates with transparent and flexible graphene opens up new opportunities for realizing graphene‐based future electronics.     

Piezo‐Phototronic Effect for Enhanced Flexible MoS2/WSe2 van der Waals Photodiodes

The recent discoveries of transition‐metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as novel 2D electronic materials hold great promise to a rich variety of artificial van der Waals (vdWs) heterojunctions and superlattices. Moreover, most of the monolayer TMDs become intrinsically piezoelectric due to the lack of structural centrosymmetry, which offers them a new degree of freedom to interact with external mechanical stimuli. Here, fabrication of flexible vdWs p–n diode by vertically stacking monolayer n‐MoS₂ and a few‐layer p‐WSe₂ is achieved. Electrical measurement of the junction reveals excellent current rectification behavior with an ideality factor of 1.68 and photovoltaic response is realized. Performance modulation of the photodiode via piezo‐phototronic effect is also demonstrated. The optimized photoresponsivity increases by 86% when introducing a −0.62% compressive strain along MoS₂ armchair direction, which originates from realigned energy‐band profile at MoS₂/WSe₂ interface under strain‐induced piezoelectric polarization charges. This new coupling mode among piezoelectricity, semiconducting, and optical properties in 2D materials provides a new route to strain‐tunable vdWs heterojunctions and may enable the development of novel ultrathin optoelectronics.     

Nonvolatile Floating‐Gate Memories Based on Stacked Black Phosphorus–Boron Nitride–MoS2 Heterostructures

Research on van der Waals heterostructures based on stacked 2D atomic crystals is intense due to their prominent properties and potential applications for flexible transparent electronics and optoelectronics. Here, nonvolatile memory devices based on floating‐gate field‐effect transistors that are stacked with 2D materials are reported, where few‐layer black phosphorus acts as channel layer, hexagonal boron nitride as tunnel barrier layer, and MoS₂ as charge trapping layer. Because of the ambipolar behavior of black phosphorus, electrons and holes can be stored in the MoS₂ charge trapping layer. The heterostructures exhibit remarkable erase/program ratio and endurance performance, and can be developed for high‐performance type‐switching memories and reconfigurable inverter logic circuits, indicating that it is promising for application in memory devices completely based on 2D atomic crystals.     

Transition‐Metal‐Carbide (Mo2C) Multiperiod Gratings for Realization of High‐Sensitivity and Broad‐Spectrum Photodetection

A novel hybrid phototransistor consisting of molybdenum carbide (Mo₂C) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is proposed. By exploiting the interface properties of MoS₂ and Mo₂C, a highly sensitive and broad‐spectral response photodetector is fabricated. The underlying mechanism of the enhanced performance is the efficient hot carrier injection from Mo₂C to MoS₂. The strong coupling of MoS₂ and Mo₂C at the interface provides the significantly low Schottky barrier height (≈70 meV), which gives rise to the significantly efficient hot carrier transfer from Mo₂C to MoS₂. The grating of metallic Mo₂C produces plasmonic resonance, which provides hot carriers to the MoS₂ channel. By adjusting the grating period of Mo₂C (400–1000 nm), the optimal photoresponse of light can be controlled, from visible to NIR. By integrating various Mo₂C multigrating periods (400–1000 nm) with MoS₂, a novel photodetector is demonstrated with high responsivity (R > 10³ A W^?1) and light‐to‐dark current ratio (>10²) over a broad spectral range (405–1310 nm). The proposed novel hybrid photodetector, 2D semiconductors with multigrating 2D metallic stripes, exhibits high sensitivity and broad spectral detection of light and can overcome the inherent weakness of conventional 2D photodetectors, paving the way forward for next‐generation photoelectric devices.     

Influence of RIE-induced damage on luminescence and electron transport properties of AlGaAs-GaAs heterostructures

Reactive ion etching induced damage was systematically studied by photoluminescence (PL), cathodoluminescence (CL) and electronic microwave absorption in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) and two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) heterostructures. Using QW’s of differing widths at various depths, PL and CL characterization of the individual quantum wells allowed a depth sensitive detection of RIE induced damage. Etching was done with CC1₂F₂ at constant pressure and exposure time, while the bias voltage was successively increased from 55 to 320 V. A remarkable degradation in PL-intensity was observed for the topmost 1 nm QW located 30 nm beneath the surface, even at the lowest etch bias voltage. In 2DEG heterostructure samples investigated electrically, both mobility and carrier concentration of the 2DEG were seen to be strongly reduced. After illumination however, the initial values were almost completely restored, indicating that RIE damage predominantly reduces the electron supply efficiency of the AlGaAs barrier, whereas the 2DEG channel itself is not severely degraded even at the highest etch bias voltage.     

Polarization-Resolved Broadband MoS2/Black Phosphorus/MoS2 Optoelectronic Memory with Ultralong Retention Time and Ultrahigh Switching Ratio

The rapidly emerging requirement for device miniaturization and structural flexibility make 2D semiconductors and their van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructures extremely attractive for nonvolatile optoelectronic memory (NOM) applications. Although several concepts for 2D NOM have been demonstrated, multi-heterojunction devices capable of further improving storage performance have received little attention. This work reports a concept for MoS₂/black phosphorus (BP)/MoS₂ multi-heterojunction NOM with artificial trap sites through the BP oxidation, in which the trapped holes at BP/PO_x interface intrigue a persistent photoconductivity that hardly recovers within the experimental time scales (exceeding 10⁴ s). As a result of the interfacial trap-controlled charge injection, the device exhibits excellent photoresponsive memory characteristics, including a record high detectivity of ≈1.2 × 10¹⁶ Jones, a large light-to-dark switching ratio of ≈1.5 × 10⁷_, an ultralow off-state current of ≈1.2 pA, and an outstanding multi-bit storage capacity (11 storage states, 546 nC state^–1). In addition, the middle BP layer in the multi-heterojunction enables broadband spectrum distinction (375–1064 nm), together with a high polarization ratio of 8.4. The obtained results represent the significant step toward the high-density integration of optoelectronic memories with 2D vdWs heterostructures.     

Exciton wavefunction coupled surface plasmon resonance for In-rich InGaN film with perforated aluminum cylindrical micropillar arrays

The optical characterization of excitons coupled with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for InGaN/GaN heterostructures with perforated cylindrical micropillar arrays is investigated. We analyze the optical characteristics of excitons coupled with SPR for InGaN/GaN heterostructures with perforated cylindrical micropillars, as shown in measurements of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra over a broad range of temperatures between 20 and 300 K. From the temperature-dependent PL spectra, we observe the better SPR coupling effects, resulting in less carrier confinement in the InGaN energy band. The magnitude of the redshift of the emission peak shown by the sample with the coated aluminum (Al) pattern is larger than that shown by the sample with no metal film. This was due to the presence of more exciton coupling surface plasmons within the Al/InGaN interface. The enhancement of the PL intensity of the sample with the deposited Al pattern film can be attributed to a stronger SPR coupling interaction with the excitons. The experimental results indicate that a perforated Al cylindrical micropillar array can significantly affect carrier confinement, enhancing the quantum efficiency of Al/In-rich InGaN heterostructures due to the interaction of the SPR coupling effect between the InGaN quantum dot-like region and the Al film.     

Large‐Area Synthesis of Continuous and Uniform MoS2 Monolayer Films on Graphene

Heterostructures composed of multiple layers of different atomically thin materials are of interest due to their unique properties and potential for new device functionality. MoS₂‐graphene heterostructures have shown promise as photodetectors and vertical tunnel transistors. However, progress is limited by the typically micrometer‐scale devices and by the multiple alignments required for fabrication when utilizing mechanically exfoliated material. Here, the synthesis of large‐area, continuous, and uniform MoS₂ monolayers directly on graphene by chemical vapor deposition is reported, resulting in heterostructure samples on the centimeter scale with the possibility for even larger lateral dimensions. Atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence, X‐ray photoelectron, and Raman spectroscopies demonstrate uniform single‐layer growth of stoichiometric MoS₂. The ability to reproducibly generate large‐area heterostructures is highly advantageous for both fundamental investigations and technological applications.     

Phototransistors with Negative or Ambipolar Photoresponse Based on As‐Grown Heterostructures of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube and MoS2

A facile synthesis method for the heterostructures of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and few‐layer MoS₂ is reported. The heterostructures are realized by in situ chemical vapor deposition of MoS₂ on individual SWCNTs. Field effect transistors based on the heterostructures display different transfer characteristics depending on the formation of MoS₂ conduction channels along SWCNTs. Under light illumination, negative photoresponse originating from charge transfer from MoS₂ to SWCNT is observed while positive photoresponse is observed in MoS₂ conduction channels, leading to ambipolar photoresponse in devices with both SWCNT and MoS₂ channels. The heterostructure phototransistor, for negative photoresponse, exhibits high responsivity (100–1000 AW^?1) at low bias voltages (0.1 V) in the visible spectrum (500–700 nm) by combining high mobility conduction channel (SWCNT) with efficient light absorber (MoS₂).     

Recombination of self-trapped excitons in silicon nanocrystals grown in silicon oxide

The kinetics of photoluminescence (PL) and steady-state PL from silicon nanocrystals formed in the SiO₂ matrix by silicon ion implantation were studied experimentally for the first time in the temperature range from liquid-helium to room temperature. A dramatic increase in the photoluminescence decay time, accompanied by PL intensity quenching, is observed below 70 K. The results obtained indicate that the silicon nanocrystal PL arises from radiative recombination of excitons self-trapped at the silicon nanocrystal-SiO₂ interface.     

Self‐Aligned and Scalable Growth of Monolayer WSe2–MoS2 Lateral Heterojunctions

2D layered heterostructures have attracted intensive interests due to their unique optical, transport, and interfacial properties. The laterally stitched heterojunction based on dissimilar 2D transition metal dichalcogenides forms an intrinsic p–n junction without the necessity of applying an external voltage. However, no scalable processes are reported to construct the devices with such lateral heterostructures. Here, a scalable strategy, two‐step and location‐selective chemical vapor deposition, is reported to synthesize self‐aligned WSe₂–MoS₂ monolayer lateral heterojunction arrays and demonstrates their light‐emitting devices. The proposed fabrication process enables the growth of high‐quality interfaces and the first successful observation of electroluminescence at the WSe₂–MoS₂ lateral heterojunction. The electroluminescence study has confirmed the type‐I alignment at the interface rather than commonly believed type‐II alignment. This self‐aligned growth process paves the way for constructing various 2D lateral heterostructures in a scalable manner, practically important for integrated 2D circuit applications.     

MoS2/MoTe2 Heterostructure Tunnel FETs Using Gated Schottky Contacts

2D transition metal dichalcogenide based van der Waals materials are promising candidates to realize tunnel field effect transistors (TFETs) with a steep subthreshold swing (SS) for low‐power applications. Their atomically flat, self‐passivated layers offer potentially defect free interlayer tunneling. There are still several issues that need to be addressed to experimentally achieve a steep SS, e.g., the Schottky contacts, impact of thick layers, and device architecture with respect to gate configuration. This paper resolves these challenges by experimentally demonstrating MoS₂/MoTe₂ TFETs and their electrical characteristics, in conjunction with ab initio simulations and surface Kelvin probe microscopy. The Schottky barrier's effect at the contact regions are isolated by fabricating individual buried gates below the contacts. Devices with different top and bottom gate configurations are produced to understand the impact of gate placement on the heterostructure characteristics. Quantum transport simulations are performed on MoS₂/MoTe₂ multilayer stack to evaluate the impact of multiple layers on TFET performance, effect of gate placement, and the mechanism behind indirect tunneling over the heterojunction region. This work highlights the influence of the Schottky contacts, multiple layers and the role of different gate configurations on the band‐to‐band tunneling phenomenon in 2D heterojunction TFETs.     

Nanowire-metal heterostructures for high performance MOSFETs

In this work we report on the formation, of copper-germanide/germanium nanowire (NW) heterostructures with atomically sharp interfaces. The copper-germanide (Cu₃Ge) formation process is enabled by a chemical reaction between metallic Cu pads and vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) grown Ge-NWs. The atomic scale aligned formation of the Cu₃Ge segments is controlled by in situ SEM monitoring at 310 °C thereby enabling length control of the intrinsic Ge-NW down to a few nm. The single crystal Cu₃Ge/Ge/Cu₃Ge heterostructures were used to fabricate Ω-gated Ge-NW field effect transistors with Schottky Cu₃Ge source/drain contacts. Temperature dependent I/V measurements revealed the metallic properties of the Cu₃Ge contacts with a maximum current carrier density of 5 × 107 A/cm². Prior to the gate deposition the intrinsic Ge-NW was modified with a focussed Ga⁺ ion beam. According to the thermoionic emission theory we determined an effective Schottky barrier height reduction from 218 meV to about 115 meV due to Ga⁺ implantation.     

Wafer Scale Synthesis and High Resolution Structural Characterization of Atomically Thin MoS2 Layers

Synthesis of atomically thin MoS₂ layers and its derivatives with large‐area uniformity is an essential step to exploit the advanced properties of MoS₂ for their possible applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this work, a facile method is reported for the continuous synthesis of atomically thin MoS₂ layers at wafer scale through thermolysis of a spin coated‐ammonium tetrathiomolybdate film. The thickness and surface morphology of the sheets are characterized by atomic force microscopy. The optical properties are studied by UV–Visible absorption, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The compositional analysis of the layers is done by X‐ray photo­emission spectroscopy. The atomic structure and morphology of the grains in the polycrystalline MoS₂ atomic layers are examined by high‐angle annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy. The electron mobilities of the sheets are evaluated using back‐gate field‐effect transistor configuration. The results indicate that this facile method is a promising approach to synthesize MoS₂ thin films at the wafer scale and can also be applied to synthesis of WS₂ and hybrid MoS₂‐WS₂ thin layers.     

Interface state density in Au-nGaAs Schottky diodes

A method for determining the surface state density in Schottky diodes taking into account both I–V and C–V data while considering the presence of a deep donor level is presented. The model assumes that the barrier height is controlled by the energy distribution of surface states in equilibrium with the metal and the applied potential and does not include, explicitly, an interfacial layer. The model was applied to extract interface state densities of Au-nGaAs guarded Schottky diodes fabricated from bulk and VPE (100) GaAs with carrier conentrations between 3 × 10¹⁵ and 8 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3. These diodes exhibited ideality (n) factors of approximately 1.02 and room temperature saturation current densities ～10^?8 A/cm². This model is in substantial agreement with forward bias measurements over the 77–360°K temperature range investigated, in that a temperature-independent energy distribution of interface states was obtained. In reverse bias the interface state model is most valid with the higher carrier concentration material and at high temperature and low bias voltage. Typical interface state densities from 0.07 eV above the zero bias Fermi level to 0.01 eV below the Fermi level were 2 × 10¹³ cm^?2 eV^?1. The validity of the model under reverse bias is restricted by a non-thermionic reverse current, thought to be enhance field emission from traps.     

Defect Engineering in Oxide Heterostructures by Enhanced Oxygen Surface Exchange

The synthesis of materials with well‐controlled composition and structure improves our understanding of their intrinsic electrical transport properties. Recent developments in atomically controlled growth have been shown to be crucial in enabling the study of new physical phenomena in epitaxial oxide heterostructures. Nevertheless, these phenomena can be influenced by the presence of defects that act as extrinsic sources of both doping and impurity scattering. Control over the nature and density of such defects is therefore necessary to fully understand the intrinsic materials properties and exploit them in future device technologies. Here, it is shown that incorporation of a strontium copper oxide nano‐layer strongly reduces the impurity scattering at conducting interfaces in oxide LaAlO₃–SrTiO₃(001) heterostructures, opening the door to high carrier mobility materials. It is proposed that this remote cuprate layer facilitates enhanced suppression of oxygen defects by reducing the kinetic barrier for oxygen exchange in the hetero‐interfacial film system. This design concept of controlled defect engineering can be of significant importance in applications in which enhanced oxygen surface exchange plays a crucial role.     

A Quaternary van der Waals Ferromagnetic Semiconductor AgVP2Se6

The recent realization of 2D magnetism in van der Waals (vdWs) magnets holds promise for future information technology. However, the vdWs semiconducting ferromagnets, which remain rare, are especially important in developing 2D magnetic devices with new functionalities due to the possibility of simultaneous control of the carrier charge and spin. Metal thiophosphate (MTP), a multifunctional vdWs material system that combines the sought‐after properties of complex oxides, is a promising vdWs magnet system. Here, single crystals of a novel vdWs ferromagnetic semiconductor MTP AgVP₂Se₆ with a room‐temperature resistivity of 1 Ω m are successfully synthesized. Due to the nature of vdWs bonding along the c‐axis, the magnetic properties of the few‐layer AgVP₂Se₆ with different thicknesses are characterized on the exfoliated samples. The AgVP₂Se₆ flakes exhibit significant thickness‐dependent magnetic properties, and a rectangular hysteresis loop with a large coercive field of 750 Oe at 2 K and an undiminished Curie temperature of 19 K are observed in the 6.7 nm AgVP₂Se₆ flake. The discovered vdWs ferromagnet AgVP₂Se₆ with semiconducting behavior will provide alternative platforms for exploring 2D magnetism and potential applications in spintronic devices.     

Morphology Engineering in Monolayer MoS2‐WS2 Lateral Heterostructures

In recent years, heterostructures formed in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted significant attention due to their unique physical properties beyond the individual components. Atomically thin TMD heterostructures, such as MoS₂‐WS₂, MoS₂‐MoSe₂, MoS₂‐WSe₂, and WSe₂‐WS₂, are synthesized so far via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Engineering the morphology of domains including size and shape, however, still remains challenging. Here, a one‐step CVD strategy on the morphology engineering of MoS₂ and WS₂ domains within the monolayer MoS₂‐WS₂ lateral heterostructures through controlling the weight ratio of precursors, MoO₃ and WO₃, as well as tuning the reaction temperature is reported. Not only can the size ratio in terms of area between WS₂ and MoS₂ domains be easily controlled from less than 1 to more than 20, but also the overall heterostructure size can be tuned from several to hundreds of micrometers. Intriguingly, the quantum well structure, a WS₂ stripe embedded in the MoS₂ matrix, is also observed in the as‐synthesized heterostructures, offering opportunities to study quantum confinement effects and quantum well applications. This approach paves the way for the large‐scale fabrication of MoS₂‐WS₂ lateral heterostructures with controllable domain morphology, and shall be readily extended to morphology engineering of other TMD heterostructures.