arXiv subjects

Adrien Michon

Publications and source records attributed to Adrien Michon.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Cathodoluminescence Analysis of Defects and Grain Boundaries in Zn3P2 Thin Films Grown on Graphene by MOVPE and MBE

Zn3P2 is a promising earth-abundant absorber for thin-film photovoltaics, yet its development is hindered by the lack of lattice-matched substrates, its incompatible thermal expansion coefficient, and a complex defect landscape. Here, we demonstrate the quasi-van der Waals epitaxy of Zn3P2 on graphene by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and directly link the density of antiphase boundaries to optical emission modulation using correlative electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence (CL). Moreover, it is observed through CL that grain boundaries act as non-radiative sinks for excited charge carriers. The effect extends several micrometres into the grains, making grain boundaries detrimental to the applicability of Zn3P2 in read devices. Further comparison with molecular beam epitaxy grown films reveals the suppression of strain-related sub-bandgap emission in MOVPE-grown material. Overall, quasi-van der Waals epitaxy of Zn3P2 by MOVPE resulted in larger grains and improved material quality. In addition, these results directly link extended defects to recombination pathways in Zn3P2 and highlight grain-size control as a key strategy for improving earth-abundant photovoltaic absorbers.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Thickness-Dependent Spintronic Terahertz Emission in MBE-Grown PtTe$_2$: From Semiconductor to Type-II Dirac Semimetal

Spintronic terahertz (THz) emitters have established themselves as among the most practical broadband THz sources available, yet their performance remains fundamentally limited by the spin Hall conductivity of the nonmagnetic conversion layer - a quantity that is fixed once the material is chosen. Here, we demonstrate that in PtTe$_2$, a type-II Dirac semimetal within the transition metal dichalcogenide family, this limitation can be circumvented by exploiting the dramatic thickness-driven electronic phase evolution of the material itself. Using molecular beam epitaxy to grow PtTe$_2$ films with single-monolayer precision from 1 to 20 ML, we show that the spintronic THz emission tracks the underlying electronic phase diagram directly: it is absent in the single-layer semiconducting phase, turns on sharply at the semimetal transition near 2 ML, and reaches a peak amplitude six times that of an equivalent Pt reference at 10 ML, before declining at larger thicknesses due to THz reabsorption in the increasingly metallic film. This non-monotonic behavior is inconsistent with a bulk inverse spin Hall mechanism and instead reflects a multi-channel spin-to-charge conversion process in which spin-momentum-locked topological surface states and a thickness-dependent interfacial Rashba splitting both contribute and strengthen as the type-II Dirac band structure develops. First-principles calculations of the interfacial spin accumulation reproduce the experimental trend quantitatively, confirming this physical picture. These findings introduce thickness engineering of van der Waals semimetals as a new and accessible route to optimizing spintronic THz emitters and spin-orbit torques in magnetic memories (SOT-MRAMs), with direct implications for the broader class of dimensionally tunable topological materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Rashba engineering at van der Waals interfaces

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) interfaces offer a versatile platform for studying emergent quantum phenomena and enabling novel device functionalities. When distinct TMD monolayers are stacked vertically or laterally stitched, their interfaces can exhibit unique electronic band alignments, giving rise to long-lived interlayer excitons, charge transfer effects, and moir\'e superlattices with correlated states. Here, we demonstrate that the interface between a large variety of two different epitaxially grown TMD monolayers controls the intensity and sign of the Rashba spin splitting, which is probed using THz spintronic emission. Optimized TMD heterobilayers, such as HfSe$_2$/PtSe$_2$, show enhanced THz emission that surpass the spin-to-charge conversion efficiency of bulk TMDs, confirming the presence of Rashba states with large spin splitting at the interface. By combining spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with density functional theory, we reveal that the electronic hybridization between the two different TMD monolayers gives rise to extended in-gap states with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling. The choice of TMD layers enables to engineer the sign and strength of spin-to-charge conversion in van der Waals heterobilayers opening up perspectives to build efficient and tunable THz spintronic emitters.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

The unexpected dewetting during growth of silicene flakes with dendritic pyramids

Silicene growth on graphene has emerged as a novel method for fabricating silicon-based van der Waals heterostructures. However, the silicene flakes produced in this manner are the result of an exotic growth mode characterized by metastable nanostructures with varying degrees of deviation from equilibrium, with large two-dimensional flakes surrounded by a rim that coexist with small 3D islands, and, at large deposits, thick dendritic pyramids separated by a denuded zone. In order to rationalize and control this growth, a model is derived that revisits the dewetting thermodynamics and considers generally ignored adsorption and step-edge energies. The model is investigated using kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations and mean-field rate equations, and implemented by close inspection of microscopy images. This model perfectly reproduces the experimental outcomes, unveiling an anomalous growth mode, and provides guidelines on experimental conditions for high-quality silicene growth.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Robust quantum Hall resistance standard from uniform wafer-scale epitaxial graphene on SiC

We report high-precision resistance measurements on quantum Hall resistance devices fabricated from uniform epitaxial graphene grown by propane-hydrogen chemical vapor deposition on a two-inch silicon carbide substrate. Through molecular doping, we achieve a low carrier density regime ($n_\mathrm s < $ 1.5 \textperiodcentered 10$^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$) combined with high mobility ($\upmu \geq$ 6000 cm$^2$ V$^{-1}$ s$^{-1}$) at low temperature. Accurate quantization of the Hall resistance is demonstrated at magnetic flux densities as low as 3.5 T, temperatures up to 8 K, and measurement currents up to 325 $\upmu$A, with relative measurement uncertainties of a few parts per billion. A stability diagram mapping dissipation as a function of temperature and current provides insight into optimal doping conditions that maximize the breakdown current. All measurements were carried out in a pulse-tube-based cryomagnetic system, enabling simplified and continuous operation of the quantum Hall resistance standard without liquid helium consumption.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Van der Waals epitaxy of Weyl-semimetal Td-WTe$_2$

Epitaxial growth of WTe$_2$ offers significant advantages, including the production of high-qualityfilms, possible long range in-plane ordering and precise control over layer thicknesses. However,the mean island size of WTe$_2$ grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) in litterature is only a fewtens of nanometers, which is not suitable for an implementation of devices at large lateral scales.Here we report the growth of Td-WTe$_2$ ultrathin films by MBE on monolayer (ML) graphenereaching a mean flake size of $\cong$110nm, which is, on overage, more than three time larger thanprevious results. WTe$_2$ films thicker than 5nm have been successfully synthesized and exhibit theexpected Td-phase atomic structure. We rationalize epitaxial growth of Td-WTe$_2$ and propose asimple model to estimate the mean flake size as a function of growth parameters that can be appliedto other transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). Based on nucleation theory and Kolmogorov-Johnson-Meh-Avrami (KJMA) equation, our analytical model supports experimental data showinga critical coverage of 0.13ML above which WTe$_2$ nucleation becomes negligible. The quality ofmonolayer WTe$_2$ films is demonstrated from electronic band structure analysis using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) in agreement with first-principle calculationsperformed on free-standing WTe$_2$ and previous reports.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Van der Waals heteroepitaxy of air stable quasi-free standing silicene layers on CVD epitaxial graphene/6H-SiC

Graphene, consisting of an inert, thermally stable material with an atomically flat, dangling bond-free surface is by essence an ideal template layer for van der Waals heteroepitaxy of two-dimensional materials such as silicene. However, depending on the synthesis method and growth parameters, graphene (Gr) substrates could exhibit, on a single sample, various surface structures, thicknesses, defects, and step heights. These structures noticeably affect the growth mode of epitaxial layers, e.g. turning the layer-by-layer growth into the Volmer-Weber growth promoted by defect-assisted nucleation. In this work, the growth of silicon on chemical vapor deposited epitaxial Gr (1 ML Gr/1ML Gr buffer) on 6H-SiC(0001) substrate is investigated by a combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy measurements. It is shown that the perfect control of full-scale almost defect-free 1 ML Gr with a single surface structure and the ultra-clean conditions for molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) deposition of silicon represent key prerequisites for ensuring the growth of extended silicene sheets on epitaxial graphene.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Hydrogen-mediated CVD epitaxy of Graphene on SiC: growth mechanism and atomic configuration

Despite the large literature focused on the growth of graphene (Gr) on 6H-SiC(0001) by chemical vapour deposition (CVD), some important issues have not been solved and full wafer scale epitaxy of Gr remains challenging, hampering applications in microelectronics. With this study we shed light on the generic mechanism which produces the coexistence of two different types of Gr domains, whose proportion can be carefully controlled by tuning the H2 flow rate. For the first time, we show that the growth of Gr using CVD under H2/Ar flow rate proceeds in two stages. Firstly, the nucleation of free-standing epitaxial graphene on hydrogen (H-Gr) occurs, then H-atoms eventually desorb from either step edges or defects. This gives rise, for H2 flow rate below a critical value, to the formation of (6x6)Gr domains on 6H-SiC(0001). The front of H-desorption progresses proportionally to the reduction of H2. Using a robust and generic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, we realistically quantify the proportions of H-Gr and (6x6)Gr domains of a Gr film synthetized in any experimental conditions. Scanning tunnelling microscopy supports the XPS measurements. From these results we can deduce that the H- assisted CVD growth of Gr developed here is a unique method to grow fully free-standing H-Gr on the contrary to the method consisting of H-intercalation below epitaxial Gr on buffer layer. These results are of crucial importance for future applications of Gr/SiC(0001) in nanoelectronics, providing the groundwork for the use of Gr as an optimal template layer for Van der Waals homo- and hetero-epitaxy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Single InAsP/InP quantum dots as telecommunications-band photon sources

The optical properties of single InAsP/InP quantum dots are investigated by spectrally-resolved and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements as a function of excitation power. In the short-wavelength region (below 1.45 $\mu$m), the spectra display sharp distinct peaks resulting from the discrete electron-hole states in the dots, while in the long-wavelength range (above 1.45 $\mu$m), these sharp peaks lie on a broad spectral background. In both regions, cascade emission observed by time-resolved photoluminescence confirms that the quantum dots possess discrete exciton and multi-exciton states. Single photon emission is reported for the dots emitting at 1.3 $\mu$m through anti-bunching measurements.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Time-Resolved characterization of InAsP/InP quantum dots emitting in the C-band telecommunication window

The dynamic response of InAsP quantum dots grown on InP(001) substrates by low-pressure Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy emitting around 1.55 $μ$m, is investigated by means of time-resolved microphotoluminescence as a function of temperature. Exciton lifetime steadily increases from 1 ns at low temperature to reach 4 ns at 300K while the integrated photoluminescence intensity decreases only by a factor of 2/3. These characteristics give evidence that such InAsP/InP quantum dots provide a strong carrier confinement even at room temperature and that their dynamic response is not affected by thermally activated non-radiative recombination up to room temperature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗