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The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of solution-processed organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells has been drastically improved. Despite this considerable progress, systematic research on...

A key challenge in the development of two-dimensional (2D) devices is the fabrication of metal–semiconductor junctions with minimal contact resistance and depinned energy levels. An ideal solution for practical applications is to make contacts between 2D van der Waals semiconductors and 2D van der Waals metals. Here we report the wafer-scale production of patterned layers of metallic transition metal ditellurides on different substrates. Our tungsten ditelluride and molybdenum ditelluride layers, which are grown using a tellurization process applied to a precursor transition metal layer, have an electronic performance comparable to that of mechanically exfoliated flakes and can be combined with the 2D semiconductor molybdenum disulfide. The resulting metal–semiconductor junctions are free from significant disorder effects and Fermi-level pinning, and are used to create monolayer molybdenum disulfide field-effect transistors. The Schottky barrier heights of the devices also largely follow the trend of the Schottky–Mott limit. Two-dimensional metallic WTe2 and MoTe2 layers can be combined with a semiconducting MoS2 monolayer to create metal–semiconductor junctions that are free from substantial disorder effects and Fermi-level pinning.

Multiple quantum wells based on 2D semiconductors are realized by monolithic bandgap engineering and van der Waals stacking., Quantum wells (QWs), enabling effective exciton confinement and strong light-matter interaction, form an essential building block for quantum optoelectronics. For two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, however, constructing the QWs is still challenging because suitable materials and fabrication techniques are lacking for bandgap engineering and indirect bandgap transitions occur at the multilayer. Here, we demonstrate an unexplored approach to fabricate atomic–layer–confined multiple QWs (MQWs) via monolithic bandgap engineering of transition metal dichalcogenides and van der Waals stacking. The WOX/WSe2 hetero-bilayer formed by monolithic oxidation of the WSe2 bilayer exhibited the type I band alignment, facilitating as a building block for MQWs. A superlinear enhancement of photoluminescence with increasing the number of QWs was achieved. Furthermore, quantum-confined radiative recombination in MQWs was verified by a large exciton binding energy of 193 meV and a short exciton lifetime of 170 ps. This work paves the way toward monolithic integration of band-engineered heterostructures for 2D quantum optoelectronics.

Many properties of layered materials change as they are thinned from their bulk forms down to single layers, with examples including indirect-to-direct band gap transition in 2H semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides as well as thickness-dependent changes in the valence band structure in post-transition metal monochalcogenides and black phosphorus. Here, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study the electronic band structure of monolayer ReSe$_{2}$, a semiconductor with a distorted 1T structure and in-plane anisotropy. By changing the polarization of incoming photons, we demonstrate that for ReSe$_{2}$, in contrast to the 2H materials, the out-of-plane transition metal $d_{z^{2}}$ and chalcogen $p_{z}$ orbitals do not contribute significantly to the top of the valence band which explains the reported weak changes in the electronic structure of this compound as a function of layer number. We estimate a band gap of 1.7 eV in pristine ReSe$_{2}$ using scanning tunneling spectroscopy and explore the implications on the gap following surface-doping with potassium. A lower bound of 1.4 eV is estimated for the gap in the fully doped case, suggesting that doping-dependent many-body effects significantly affect the electronic properties of ReSe$_{2}$. Our results, supported by density functional theory calculations, provide insight into the mechanisms behind polarization-dependent optical properties of rhenium dichalcogenides and highlight their place amongst two-dimensional crystals., Comment: 37 pages (including Supporting Information), 7 figures in the main text

Herein, we report a facile process, i.e., controlling the initial chamber pressure during the postdeposition annealing, to effectively lower the band tail states in the synthesized CZTSSe thin films. Through detailed analysis of the external quantum efficiency derivative (dEQE/dλ) and low-temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) data, we find that the band tail states are significantly influenced by the initial annealing pressure. After carefully optimizing the deposition processes and device design, we are able to synthesize kesterite CZTSSe thin films with energy differences between inflection of d(EQE)/dλ and LTPL as small as 10 meV. These kesterite CZTSSe thin films enable the fabrication of solar cells with a champion efficiency of 11.8% with a low Voc deficit of 582 mV. The results suggest that controlling the annealing process is an effective approach to reduce the band tail in kesterite CZTSSe thin films.

We report on the thickness-dependent Raman spectroscopy of ultrathin silicon (Si) nanomembranes (NMs), whose thicknesses range from 2 to 18 nm, using several excitation energies. We observe that the Raman intensity depends on the thickness and the excitation energy due to the combined effects of interference and resonance from the band-structure modulation. Furthermore, confined acoustic phonon modes in the ultrathin Si NMs were observed in ultralow-frequency Raman spectra, and strong thickness dependence was observed near the quantum limit, which was explained by calculations based on a photoelastic model. Our results provide a reliable method with which to accurately determine the thickness of Si NMs with thicknesses of less than a few nanometers.

Sb2Se3 is a promising candidate for thin-film photovoltaics, with a suitable band gap, benign grain boundaries, Earth-abundant and nontoxic constituents, and excellent stability. However, the low doping density (1013 cm–3) of Sb2Se3 absorber and back contact barrier limit its efficiency. Here we introduced a PbS colloidal quantum dot (CQD) film as the hole-transporting layer (HTL) to construct a n-i-p configured device and overcame these problems. Through simulation-guided optimization, we have significantly improved the efficiency of a Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cell to a new certified record of 6.5%. The PbS CQD HTL not only minimized carrier recombination loss at the back contact and boosted carrier collection efficiency but also contributed photocurrent by its own near-infrared absorption. Furthermore, these n-i-p devices also demonstrated improved device uniformity, achieving 6.39% in a 1.02 cm2 device.

To commercialize Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin-film solar cells, it is necessary to improve their efficiency and to develop the technological ability to produce large-area modules. Defect formation due to the secondary phase is considered to be one of the main reasons for decreased CZTSSe thin-film solar-cell efficiency. This study explores the potential capabilities of large-area thin-film solar cells by controlling the defect formation using various CZTSSe precursor designs, and by improving the characteristic uniformity within the thin-film solar cells. Alloying the precursor as a stack of discrete layers can result in lateral segregation of elements into stable-phase islands, yielding a non-uniform composition on small length scales. It is found that the application of an indiscrete layer by minimizing the precursor-layer thickness allows avoiding Zn rich inhomogeneities in the absorber that would favor formation of detrimental ZnS-ZnSe secondary phases and deep defects. Among the various precursor layers designed by considering the reaction mechanism under annealing, a sample with 15 precursor layers is found to exhibit a shallow electron-acceptor energy level, high photovoltaic conversion efficiency, and uniform characteristics over the corresponding thin-film solar cell. Based on such improvements in both the efficiency and characteristic distribution, it is expected that the commercialization of CZTSSe thin-film solar cells can be advanced.

The defects states and carrier density of CZTSe absorber layers are two of the crucial factors that decide the photovoltaic performance of CZTSe thin film solar cells. Fine tailoring the defects and carrier density is a key to push the power conversion efficiency of CZTSe solar cells to a more competitive level. In this work, the phase properties, defect states, and carrier density of CZTSe thin film are well controlled by fine tuning the ratio of Zn/Sn in the range from 0.75 to 1.27. Capacity-Voltage measurements and Admittance Spectroscopy are used to characterize the carrier density, depletion region width, and defect states of the CZTSe solar cells. The results indicate that the defects states and carrier density of CZTSe layer are very sensitive to the ratio of Zn/Sn. Combining experimental results and numerical simulation, the statistic regularities of the photovoltaic parameters of the CZTSe solar cells with different ratios of Zn/Sn is well explained. The increase of VOC of CZTSe solar cells with the ratio of Zn/Sn is related to both the increased carrier density and the decreased deep level defects states. The decline of JSC of the Zn-rich solar cells is caused by both the shrunken depletion region width and a large barrier caused by ZnSe phase. This barrier is the cause for a low fill factor in the Zn-rich solar cells. Overall, the CZTSe solar cells with a stoichiometric ratio of Zn/Sn=1.02 have favorable defects property and carrier density, thus resulting in the highest photovoltaic efficiency of 10.21%.

In this study, we investigate methods of improving the efficiency of Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTS)-based solar cells by comparing Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGSe)- and CZTS-based absorber layers. In particular, the CZTS-based absorber exhibits lower current characteristics than the CIGSe absorber layer in terms of the band gap alignment and electron-hole recombination at the CdS-absorber interface. Moreover, we demonstrate that defects are one of the causes of the voltage loss. In order to improve the efficiency of CZTS-based solar cells, it is important to control the band gap alignment at the CdS-absorber layer interface and to suppress the formation of secondary phases inside the absorber.

To observe the superconducting current and structural properties of high critical temperature ( T c ) superconductors (HTS), we suggest the following imaging methods: Room temperature imaging (RTI) through thermal heating, low-temperature bolometric microscopy (LTBM) and Raman scattering imaging. RTI and LTBM images visualize thermal-electric voltages as different thermal gradients at room temperature (RT) and superconducting current dissipation at near- T c , respectively. Using RTI, we can obtain structural information about the surface uniformity and positions of impurities. LTBM images show the flux flow in two dimensions as a function of the local critical currents. Raman imaging is transformed from Raman survey spectra in particular areas, and the Raman vibration modes can be combined. Raman imaging can quantify the vibration modes of the areas. Therefore, we demonstrate the spatial transport properties of superconducting materials by combining the results. In addition, this enables visualization of the effect of current flow on the distribution of impurities in a uniform superconducting crystalline material. These imaging methods facilitate direct examination of the local properties of superconducting materials and wires.

Cu 2 ZnSnSe 4 photovoltaic absorber layers were prepared by the vapor selenization of stacked Cu/Sn/CuZn/Mo/glass precursor films with different Cu/(Zn + Sn) compositional ratios (CZT = 0.8, 0.85 and 0.9). The absorber was ZnSe-free at CZT = 0.9 but the films obtained from CZT = 0.85 or 0.8 contained a ZnSe phase mainly at the bottom or top of the absorber film, respectively. Although the solar cell fabricated from the CZT = 0.9 absorber showed poor-shunt characteristics (efficiency = 1.94%), that produced from CZT = 0.85 exhibited significantly distorted current–voltage characteristics (efficiency = 4.23%). The CZT = 0.8 ratio showed the highest efficiency of 5.8% and normal pn diode behavior. This suggests that the existence or location of the ZnSe phase within the absorber is not related directly to the solar cell performance. Instead, the ZnSe phase may alter the defect distribution near the space charge region. Several aspects of the device behavior depending on the CZT ratio are discussed with respect to the relative position of the ZnSe phase.

Although Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) has attracted attention as an alternative to CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) as an absorber material in solar cells, its low efficiency is a serious shortcoming preventing its commercialization. To realize a high-efficiency CZTSSe solar cell, improved grain crystallinity, inhibited secondary-phase formation, controlled defect generation, adequate Na content, and band gap grading are required in the absorber layer. Few studies have focused specifically on band gap grading. In this study, a method of using SeS2, a new potential chalcogenization source material, to control the S and Se contents in a CZTSSe absorber and its effects were investigated. Using an appropriate SeS2/Se weight ratio, band gap grading was realized within the depletion region. By increasing the value of VOC through band gap grading in the depletion region, a record VOC deficit of 0.576 V was achieved. Furthermore, the possibility of enhancing JSC through the formation of a type-inverted n-type phase at the absorber surface in response to an appropriate alignment of the conduction-band minimum energy level and the Fermi energy pinning level is discussed. By introducing the chalcogenization source material SeS2 during the annealing process, CZTSSe solar cells with a maximum efficiency of 12.3% were obtained.

We report a new way to enhance the electrical performances of large area CVD-grown graphene through controlling the ripple density and heights after transfer onto SiO2/Si substrates by employing different cooling rates during fabrication. We find that graphene films prepared with a high cooling rate have reduced ripple density and heights and improved electrical characteristics such as higher electron/hole mobilities as well as reduced sheet resistance. The corresponding Raman analysis also shows a significant decrease of the defects when a higher cooling rate is employed. We suggest a model that explains the improved morphology of the graphene film obtained with higher cooling rates. From these points of view, we can suggest a new pathway toward a relatively lower density and heights of ripples in order to reduce the flexural phonon-electron scattering effect, leading to higher lateral carrier mobilities.

We numerically study a multi-band absorption based on electromagnetic-induced-transparency effect of metamaterial. By exploiting the coupling between bright and dark plasmonic modes of cut-wire triplet, which consists of a vertical wire and two horizontal wires, a dual-band absorption is realized at 243 and 266 THz. Then, the absorber structure is improved by adding two new horizontal wires which play role as second dark meta-molecules. Due to the dark–dark coupling, another absorption band arises so that a triple-band absorption is created at 240, 250 and 264 THz. The role of interaction between dark meta-molecules in triple-band absorption is investigated, revealing a specific non-monotonic characteristic of the second absorption peak. Finally, the influence of incident angle of EM wave on multi-band absorbers shows that the absorption of lowest frequency peak is robust while those of higher frequency peaks are strongly weaken with increasing of the incident angle.

The optical constants, bandgaps, and band alignments of mono-, bi-, and trilayer WS2 were experimentally measured, and an extraordinarily high dependency on the number of layers was revealed. The refractive indices and extinction coefficients were extracted from the optical-contrast oscillation for various thicknesses of SiO2 on a Si substrate. The bandgaps of the few-layer WS2 were both optically and electrically measured, indicating high exciton-binding energies. The Schottky-barrier heights (SBHs) with Au/Cr contact were also extracted, depending on the number of layers (1-28). From an engineering viewpoint, the bandgap can be modulated from 3.49 to 2.71 eV with additional layers. The SBH can also be reduced from 0.37 eV for a monolayer to 0.17 eV for 28 layers. The technique of engineering materials' properties by modulating the number of layers opens pathways uniquely adaptable to transition-metal dichalcogenides.

Structural and transport properties of high performance SmBa2Cu3O7−x coated conductors produced by a dual-chamber co-evaporation are presented. The 5 μm-thick SmBCO coated conductors grown on IBAD-MgO based Hastelloy metal templates show critical currents larger than 1020–1560 A/cm at 77 K and self-field. The current transport characteristics of the conductors are investigated by room-temperature thermoelectric microscopy and low-temperature bolometric microscopy. The local thermoelectric images show the tilted grains, grain boundaries, and microstructural defects on the surface of the coated conductors. The bias current-dependent bolometric response at low temperature displays the current of the local flux flow dissipation as an increasing bias. Furthermore, we measured micro-Raman scattering microscopic imaging on oxygen-related peaks of the conductors. Comparing the Raman signal images with the low temperature optical scanning maps, it is remarkable that the structural disorders represented by oxygen-related Raman peaks are closely related to the low temperature bolometric abnormalities. From this result, a nature of the dissipative current distribution in coated conductors is revealed. The scanning optical microscopic study will provide a promising method for quality assurance of coated conductors.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nano-sheets have been successfully deposited directly on the cleaved facet of a silica optical fiber using optical trapping forces. By controlling the incident laser power, various types of MoS 2 films were deposited near the fiber core. An area selective deposition was successfully realized during the optical deposition process by using an optical reflectometry method. The presence of MoS 2 deposited layer at the fiber end was confirmed by microscopic Raman spectroscopy as well as scanning electron microscope images. Nonlinear response and power dependent transmission of the prepared sample was observed at the wavelength of 1552 nm, which can be used as an all-fiber saturable absorber. Moreover, the fabricated sample was inserted in a Er-doped fiber ring laser cavity and stable Q-switched pulses with the repletion rate from 26.6 kHz to 40.9 kHz were generated, which confirmed the potential of MoS 2 as a saturable absorber.

Graphene and related two-dimensional materials are promising candidates for atomically thin, flexible, and transparent optoelectronics. In particular, the strong light-matter interaction in graphene has allowed for the development of state-of-the-art photodetectors, optical modulators, and plasmonic devices. In addition, electrically biased graphene on SiO2 substrates can be used as a low-efficiency emitter in the mid-infrared range. However, emission in the visible range has remained elusive. Here we report the observation of bright visible-light emission from electrically biased suspended graphenes. In these devices, heat transport is greatly minimised; thus hot electrons (~ 2800 K) become spatially localised at the centre of graphene layer, resulting in a 1000-fold enhancement in the thermal radiation efficiency. Moreover, strong optical interference between the suspended graphene and substrate can be utilized to tune the emission spectrum. We also demonstrate the scalability of this technique by realizing arrays of chemical-vapour-deposited graphene bright visible-light emitters. These results pave the way towards the realisation of commercially viable large-scale, atomically-thin, flexible and transparent light emitters and displays with low-operation voltage, and graphene-based, on-chip ultrafast optical communications., Comment: 63 page

The optical and structural properties of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy. Pure zinc oxide (ZnO) and AZO composite films were deposited using vacuum evaporation method. The films exhibited different morphologies and crystallinity depending on the Al-doping. The SEM micrographs showed that a granular and compact structure could be seen for the ZnO film, while a nanoleaf structure with relatively porous nature was observed for the AZO composite film. The XRD patterns indicated that the crystalline growth orientation would be significantly affected by addition of Al. Compared with pure ZnO, the XRD peak intensity of the AZO composite was stronger and the line-width was narrower. Two-probe resistivity measurements showed that the AZO composites could be used as transparent conducting materials. The PL spectra revealed that the PL intensities of the AZO composites were stronger than that of the pure ZnO. The PL enhancement might be ascribed to the surface plasmon resonance of metal nanoclusters within the composite. Another possible reason of the PL enhancement would be the metal-induced crystallization caused by doping Al to ZnO matrix.

The mechanical properties of ZnO microwires have been studied using three different methods: quasi-static flexural measurements using atomic force microscopy, static measurements using a nano indenter, and dynamic flexural measurements using optical interferometry. ZnO microwires were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition method, and the crystal structure and quality were examined using x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The Young's moduli were estimated using the measurement results from the three methods, and they showed consistent values in the range 67.5–79.4 GPa for microwires with diameters of 1.8 μm ± 100 nm.

As the elements of integrated circuits are downsized to the nanoscale, the current Cu‐based interconnects are facing limitations due to increased resistivity and decreased current‐carrying capacity because of scaling. Here, the bottom‐up synthesis of single‐crystalline WTe2 nanobelts and low‐ and high‐field electrical characterization of nanoscale interconnect test structures in various ambient conditions are reported. Unlike exfoliated flakes obtained by the top‐down approach, the bottom‐up growth mode of WTe2 nanobelts allows systemic characterization of the electrical properties of WTe2 single crystals as a function of channel dimensions. Using a 1D heat transport model and a power law, it is determined that the breakdown of WTe2 devices under vacuum and with AlOx capping layer follows an ideal pattern for Joule heating, far from edge scattering. High‐field electrical measurements and self‐heating modeling demonstrate that the WTe2 nanobelts have a breakdown current density approaching ≈100 MA cm−2, remarkably higher than those of conventional metals and other transition‐metal chalcogenides, and sustain the highest electrical power per channel length (≈16.4 W cm−1) among the interconnect candidates. The results suggest superior robustness of WTe2 against high‐bias sweep and its possible applicability in future nanoelectronics.

We investigated the transport and photovoltaic properties of Cu-deficient Cu(In1 − xGax)Se2 (CIGS) thin-film solar cells containing ordered vacancy compound (OVC) layers. Raman spectra clearly revealed that the CIGS thin films with lower Cu concentrations contained larger volumes of OVC layers. The temperature-dependent inverse ideality factor showed that the CIGS film containing more (less) OVC layers exhibited tunneling-mediated bulk (interface)-dominated recombination. The capacitance–voltage characteristics and admittance spectra showed that the CIGS cells containing more OVC layers had more uniform carrier concentration near the junction and less interfacial trap states compared with cells with less OVC layers. These results suggested that the Cu-deficiency and the resulting OVC layer formation reduced the interfacial defect density and suppressed the interface recombination processes of the CIGS solar cells.

We measured the polarization dependence of the photocurrent in symmetric Pd-graphene-Pd photodevices. The photocurrent is maximum when the polarization angle of the incident light is parallel to the edge of an electrode. On the other hand, when the polarization direction is parallel to the graphene channel, the photocurrent is minimum. This polarization dependence of the photocurrent is similar to what has been observed in an asymmetric Pd-graphene-Ti device and results from an anisotropic electron-photon interaction in graphene, which generates photocarriers with momenta predominantly in the direction perpendicular to the polarization direction.

We proposed new models of metamaterials (MMs) based on a flower-shaped structure (FSS), whose “meta-atoms” consist of two flower-shaped metallic parts separated by a dielectric layer. Like the non-symmetric MMs based on cut-wire-pairs or electric ring resonators, the symmetrical FSS demonstrates the negative permeability at GHz frequencies. Employing the results, we designed a symmetric negative-refractive-index MM [a symmetric combined structure (SCS)], which is composed of FSSs and cross continuous wires. The MM properties of the FSS and the SCS are presented numerically and experimentally.

The influence of the conventional depositing processes on the optical properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) thin films in solar cell structures was investigated by measuring the photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectra of the CIGS layer at each stage of the solar cell deposition process. The intensities of the PL and the Raman A 1 mode increase after the CdS buffer layer is deposited, suggesting that the CdS layer either improves the optical quality of the CIGS film or protects it from degradation due to environmental factors. The temperature and excitation power dependences of the PL for the bare CIGS sample are very different from those for the samples with the CdS layer, reflecting different characters of the luminescence centers near the surface of the CIGS layer. On the other hand, the lateral homogeneity, as seen in the micro-PL and micro-Raman images, does not seem to improve. After the ZnO window layer is deposited, the overall PL and Raman intensities do not change much, although the intensity distribution becomes more inhomogeneous.

We investigated the dependence of reflectance and absorbance of a metamaterial structure (consisting of unit cells with two metallic parts, an electric ring resonator (ERR) at the front and a cut-wire bar at the back, separated by a dielectric layer) on gap ‘g’ of the structure at GHz frequencies. Our simulation results have shown that, by increasing the gap, the maximum absorbance and the minimum reflectance were obtained to be 94.42 and 0.74%, respectively, at 12.3 GHz. It was significant that the geometry of ERR was changed as an I-shape to observe a narrow-band peak of the perfect-absorber effect, whose absorbance was enhanced to be greater than 99.5% at 13.5 GHz by using a multilayer model for the simplified absorber structure.

We developed a simple but efficient method to mass-produce highly flexible and high-performance photodetectors based on aligned cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanowire (NW) networks. In this method, the CdS NWs were selectively aligned along the molecular patterns on flexible substrates via a direct assembly method, and the aligned CdS NW patterns were utilized as the channels of flexible photodetectors. The photodetectors based on the aligned CdS NWs exhibited ∼10 times higher photosensitivity and ∼100 times faster photoresponse than those based on randomly oriented NW networks. In addition, the flexible photodetectors exhibited stable photoconductive characteristics even when these were bent down to the radius of curvature of 0.2 mm. This research may pave the way for the large-scale fabrication of low-cost and high performance flexible photodetectors based on the aligned NW networks.

Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films with different substrate temperature and Cu flux were grown by thermal co-evaporation. Raman scattering, photoluminescence, and contactless electroreflectance (ER) measurements were performed. The Raman spectra of Cu2ZnSnSe4 show two main peaks at 170 and 192 cm− 1. The photoluminescence spectrum shows a peak below 1.0 eV. Franz–Keldysh oscillations (FKOs) were observed in the ER spectra. From the analysis of the FKOs, the bandgap energy of Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films is estimated to be 1.07 eV at 90 K and 0.99 eV at room temperature. We conclude that the bandgap energy of Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films is around 1.0 eV.

In this research, we investigated the microstructures, the photoluminescence (PL) and the nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor nanocomposites consisting of ZnO nanorods and CdS nanodots. The ZnO nanorods and the CdS nanodot-adsorbed ZnO nanorods were grown in an aqueous solution of Zn(NO3)2 and hexamethyltetramine (HMT) by using chemical bath deposition. The room-temperature PL spectra under 325-nm continuous wave excitation showed an UV emission band with a peak at 3.25 eV and a band width of 160 meV, while the PL spectra at a low temperature of 10 K exhibited multiple bands with enhanced PL intensities. These results are thought to be related to the near-band-edge emission that originates from exciton transitions. From femtosecond Z-scan measurements at a wavelength of 800 nm, the ZnO nanorods exhibit nonlinear absorption due to three-photon absorption, and the CdS nanodot-adsorbed ZnO nanorods show the saturable absorption due to the exciton bleaching eect of the CdS nanodots.

In this study, we investigated the structures, photoluminescence (PL), and lasing characteristics of the ZnO nanorods prepared by using chemical bath deposition. The continuous-wave HeCd laserexcited PL spectra of the ZnO nanorods exhibited two emission bands, one in the UV region and the other in the visible region. The UV emission band has its peak at 3.25 eV with a bandwidth of 160 meV. However, the PL spectra under 355-nm, 35-ps pulse excitation exhibited a spectrally-narrowed UV emission band with a peak at 3.20 eV and a spectral width of 35 meV. The lasing phenomena were ascribed to the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) caused by coupling of the microcavity eect of ZnO nanorods and the high-intensity excitation. Above the lasing threshold, the ASE peak intensity exhibited a superlinear dependence on the excitation intensity. For an excitation pulse energy of 3 mJ, the ASE peak intensity was increased by enlarging the length of the ZnO nanorods from 1 µm to 4 µm. In addition, the PL spectrum under 800-nm femtosecond pulse excitation exhibited second harmonic generation, as well as the multiphoton absorption-induced UV emission band. In this research, ZnO nanorods were grown on seed layers by using chemical bath deposition in an aqueous solution of Zn(NO3)2 and hexamethyltetramine. The seed layers were prepared on conducting glass substrates by dip coating in an aqueous colloidal dispersion containing 50% 70nm ZnO nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy clearly revealed that ZnO nanorods were successfully grown on the seed layers.

We have performed low-temperature (8 K) photoluminescence (PL) measurements on 71 natural and 12 high-pressure-and-high-temperature (HPHT)-treated type IIa diamonds. The GR1, NV0, NV−, H4, and H3 defect center PL signals are compared. Some distinct differences in the PL lineshape, intensity, and appearance of side-band PL signals are observed. Furthermore, we processed 6 of the natural diamond samples with the HPHT treatment to investigate the effect of the treatment on the PL spectrum. By systematically analyzing the differences in the PL spectra, we developed a scheme to discriminate natural and HPHT-treated diamonds with 99% validity.

Femtosecond laser interference crystallization was studied in 500-nm-thick amorphous silicon (a-Si) films prepared on glass by using plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition. The efficient crystallization of 500-nm-thick a-Si films was found to require post thermal annealing as well as laser annealing. Femtosecond laser interference technique was used to produce the seed pattern for the spatially-selected crystallization of a-Si. Post thermal annealing of the seed pattern was performed at 550 ◦C for 20 hours under a nitrogen atmosphere. By applying post thermal annealing to laser-crystallized silicon, the degree of crystallization was enhanced. The femtosecond laser-induced grating can be regarded as a pattern of alternating a-Si and μc-Si (microcrystalline silicon) bands with a period of about 2 μm. Probe-beam diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the diffraction behavior and to confirm the spatiallyselected crystallization of a-Si.

We investigated the photo-structuring of silver-oxide lms by using femtosecond laser pulses. The silver-oxide lms were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The physical properties of the prepared silver-oxide lms were investigated by using absorption spectroscopy. For the sample that underwent the photo-structuring of the silver-oxide lms by two interfering femtosecond laser pulses, scanning and transmission electron microscopy measurements showed that a metal grating was formed through the photoreduction of silver oxide. Micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy showed spationally selective photoluminescence from the laser-modi ed region. In order to nd the nature of laser-modi ed region, we compared the metal grating formed by laser interference structuring with the thermally annealed lm.

We successfully grew In-rich In0.8Ga0.2N/GaN quantum dots (QDs) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. We obtained uniform QDs with density of 1.3 x 1010/cm2 by optimizing growth conditions. Strong photoluminescence (PL) emission from In-rich InGaN/GaN QDs was observed at room temperature and emission wavelength was varied from 404 nm to 454 nm depending on QD size. It is strongly suggested that QDs leads to higher radiative recombination efficiency from temperature-dependent PL measurement. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Metal–graphene–metal photodetectors utilize photocurrent generated near the graphene/metal junctions and have many advantages including high speed and broad-band operation. Here, we report on photocurrent generation at ABA/ABC stacking domain junctions in tri-layer graphene with a responsivity of 0.18 A/W. Unlike usual metal–graphene–metal devices, the photocurrent is generated in the middle of the graphene channel, not confined to the vicinity of the metal electrodes. The magnitude and the direction of the photocurrent depend on the back-gate bias. Theoretical calculations show that there is a built-in band offset between the two stacking domains, and the dominant mechanism of the photocurrent is the photo-thermoelectric effect due to the Seebeck coefficient difference.

InAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown on InP substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The width and height of the dots were 50 and 5.8 nm, respectively on the average and an areal density of 3.0 x 10 10 cm -2 was observed by atomic force microscopy before the capping process. The influences of GaAs, In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As, and InP capping layers (5-10 ML thickness) on the InAs/InP QDs were studied. Insertion of a thin GaAs capping layer on the QDs led to a blue shift of up to 146meV of the photoluminescence (PL) peak and an InGaAs capping layer on the QDs led to a red shift of 64meV relative to the case when a conventional InP capping layer was used. We were able to tune the emission wavelength of the InAs QDs from 1.43 to 1.89 μm by using the GaAs and InGaAs capping layers. In addition, the full-width at half-maximum of the PL peak decreased from 79 to 26meV by inserting a 7.5 ML GaAs layer. It is believed that this technique is useful in tailoring the optical properties of the InAs QDs at mid-infrared regime.

The 5-layer InAs quantum dot (QD) stack was grown on an (001) InP substrate by low pressuremetalorganic chemical vapor deposition. 40 nm InP spacer layers were inserted between the InAs QDs. The integrated intensity of the photoluminescence peak at 300 K was over 12% of that at 10 K. Farinfrared absorption peaks were observed at 819 cm �1 (101.64 meV) and 518 cm �1 (64.08 meV) from this structure at room temperature by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Raman analysis showed that the peak at 819 cm �1 was attributed to a plasmon related peak in the n-type InP substrate. The absorption peak at 518 cm �1 was regarded as a peak related with intersubband transition in the InAs QDs, suggesting that room temperature operating quantum dot devices may be fabricated.

International audience; The results of the some practical applications of InAlN layers in a device hetrostructures grown by MOVPE is presented. It is shown that use of InAlN allows not only create high-quality DBRs and HEMT structures, but also effectively modify properties of InAlN/GaN/InGaN light-emitting devices.

The polarization dependence of the double resonant Raman scattering (2D) band in bilayer graphene (BLG) is studied as a function of the excitation laser energy. It has been known that the complex shape of the 2D band of BLG can be decomposed into four Lorentzian peaks with different Raman frequency shifts attributable to four individual scattering paths in the energy-momentum space. From our polarization dependence study, however, we reveal that each of the four different peaks is actually doubly degenerate in its scattering channels, i.e., two different scattering paths with similar Raman frequency shifts for each peak. We find theoretically that one of these two paths, ignored for a long time, has a small contribution to their scattering intensities but are critical in understanding their polarization dependences. Because of this, the maximum-to-minimum intensity ratios of the four peaks show a strong dependence on the excitation energy, unlike the case of single-layer graphene (SLG). Our findings thus reveal another interesting aspect of electron-phonon interactions in graphitic systems., 19 pages, 5 figures

We report on room-temperature polarized far-infrared reflectance in partially ordered GaInP performed with the incidence plane parallel to the growth and ordering directions. Measurements in the s-polarization geometry show only one feature related to the vibrations in the plane of ordering. On the contrary, those performed using p polarization display a structure appearing in the range of InP-like vibrations as the order parameter increases, which we relate to a resonance with longitudinal-optic mode character due to the anisotropy of the longitudinal phonons. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

The spontaneous formation of lateral composition modulation in AlAs/lnAs short period superlattices on InP (001) substrates has been investigated. Transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction reciprocal space mapping show that the lateral modulation is very regular, with a periodicity along the [110] direction on the order of 180A. A surprising: result is that this material system also exhibits a lateral modulation along the [1–10] direction, with a periodicity of 330A. Reflection high energy electron diffraction performed during the deposition revealed that the reconstruction changed from (2 × 1) during the InAs deposition cycle to (1 × 2) during the AlAs cycle, which may be related to the presence of the modulation in both directions. High magnification transmission electron micrographs show that the surface is undulated and that these undulations correlate spatially with composition modulation. Detailed analysis of the images shows that the contrast observed is indeed due to composition modulation. Photoluminescence from the modulated layer is strongly polarized and red-shifted by 220 meV.

The application of III-V semiconductor alloys in device structures is of importance for high-speed microelectronics and optoelectronics. These alloys have allowed the device engineer to tailor material parameters such as the bandgap and carrier mobility to the need of the device by altering the alloy composition. When using ternary or quaternary materials, the device designer presumes that the alloy is completely disordered, without any correlation between the atoms on the cation (anion) sublattice. However the thermodynamics of the alloy system often produce material that has some degree of macroscopic or microscopic ordering. Short-range ordering occurs when atoms adopt correlated neighboring positions over distances of the order of a few lattice spacings. This can be manifested as the preferential association of like atoms, as in clustering, or of unlike atoms, as in chemical ordering (e.g., CuPt ordering). Long-range ordering occurs over many tens of lattice spacings, as in the case of phase separation. In either short-range or long-range ordering, the band structure and the crystal symmetry are greatly altered. Therefore it is absolutely critical that the mechanisms be fully understood to prevent ordering when necessary or to exploit it when possible.

We propose a dual-band metamaterial perfect absorber at microwave frequencies. Using a planar metamaterial, which consists of periodic metallic donut-shape meta-atoms at the front separated from the metallic plane at the back by a dielectric layer, we demonstrate the multi-plasmonic high-frequency perfect absorptions induced by the third-harmonic as well as the fundamental magnetic resonances. The origin of the induced multi-plasmonic perfect absorption was elucidated. It was also found that the perfect absorptions at dual peaks are persistent with varying polarization. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America

Efficient, low-temperature conversion of infrared light into visible light ~red, orange, green! is reported at single heterojunctions and undoped quantum wells of GaAs and ordered AlxGa 12xInP 2; an increase in photon energy of 700 meV is obtained. The signal originates from the high-band-gap layers and disappears only if the excitation energy is tuned below the GaAs band gap. The intensity of the up-converted photoluminescence ~PL! is found to decrease significantly slower with increasing temperature than that of the regular PL and it remains observable up to 200 K. Interface-induced cold Auger processes along with the presence of trapped states for both electrons and holes in these ordered alloys account for this nonlinear mechanism. A colinear double-beam experiment confirms this.@S0163-1829~96!50132-3# Up-conversion is the observation of radiative transitions at higher energies than that of the excitation source. In general, the observation of up-conversion requires either high temperatures to achieve, for example, ~i! a thermal population of holes for momentum ~k! conserving bulk Auger processes, or ~ii! a thermal population of phonon modes for anti-Stokes Raman lines, 1 or it relies on a nonlinear mechanism, such as two-photon absorption via real or virtual states. In addition, the excited carriers should not immediately relax back to their ground states to enable the observation of radiative transitions from the excited state. Experimental observation of up-conversion at cryogenic temperatures ~cold up-conversion! in solids was reported only rarely and they concerned only small energy gains or high excitation densities. 2‐5 Recently, Kim et al. 6 observed up-conversion ~‘‘anti-Stokes luminesence’’ ! in an asymmetric doublequantum-well system, which they attributed to quantum oscillations. In a recent theoretical paper, Zegrya and Kharchenko 7