arXiv subjects

Alexander W. Holleitner

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander W. Holleitner.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

THz-circuits driven by photo-thermoelectric graphene-junctions

For future on-chip communication schemes, it is essential to integrate nanoscale materials with an ultrafast optoelectronic functionality into high-frequency circuits. The atomically thin graphene has been widely demonstrated to be suitable for photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices because of its broadband optical absorption and its high electron mobility. Moreover, the ultrafast relaxation of photogenerated charge carriers has been verified in graphene. Here, we show that dual-gated graphene junctions can be functional parts of THz-circuits. As the underlying optoelectronic process, we exploit ultrafast photo-thermoelectric currents. We describe an immediate photo-thermoelectric current of the unbiased device following a femtosecond laser excitation. For a picosecond time-scale after the optical excitation, an additional photo-thermoelectric contribution shows up, which exhibits the fingerprint of a spatially inverted temperature profile. The latter can be understood by the different time-constants and thermal coupling mechanisms of the electron and phonon baths within graphene to the substrate and the metal contacts. The interplay of the processes gives rise to ultrafast electromagnetic transients in high-frequency circuits, and it is equally important for a fundamental understanding of graphene-based ultrafast photodetectors and switches.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Ultrafast photodetection in the quantum wells of single AlGaAs/GaAs-based nanowires

We investigate the ultrafast optoelectronic properties of single Al0.3Ga0.7As/GaAs-core-shell-nanowires. The nanowires contain GaAs-based quantum wells. For a resonant excitation of the quantum wells, we find a picosecond photocurrent which is consistent with an ultrafast lateral expansion of the photogenerated charge carriers. This Dember-effect does not occur for an excitation of the GaAs-based core of the nanowires. Instead, the core exhibits an ultrafast displacement current and a photo-thermoelectric current at the metal Schottky contacts. Our results uncover the optoelectronic dynamics in semiconductor core-shell nanowires comprising quantum wells, and they demonstrate the possibility to use the low-dimensional quantum well states therein for ultrafast photoswitches and photodetectors.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Photocurrents in a Single InAs Nanowire/ Silicon Heterojunction

We investigate the optoelectronic properties of single indium arsenide nanowires, which are grown vertically on p-doped silicon substrates. We apply a scanning photocurrent microscopy to study the optoelectronic properties of the single heterojunctions. The measured photocurrent characteristics are consistent with an excess charge carrier transport through mid-gap trap states, which form at the Si/InAs heterojunctions. Namely, the trap states add an additional transport path across a heterojunction, and the charge of the defects changes the band bending at the junction. The bending gives rise to a photovoltaic effect at a small bias voltage. In addition, we observe a photoconductance effect within the InAs nanowires at large biases.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Photogating of mono- and few-layer MoS2

We describe a photogating effect in mono- and few-layer MoS2, which allows the control of the charge carrier density by almost two orders of magnitude without electrical contacts. Our Raman studies are consistent with physisorbed environmental molecules, that effectively deplete the intrinsically n-doped charge carrier system via charge transfer, and which can be gradually removed by the exposure to light. This photogating process is reversible and precisely tunable by the light intensity. The photogating efficiency is quantified by comparison with measurements on electrostatically gated MoS2.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Ultrafast photocurrents and THz generation in single InAs-nanowires

To clarify the ultrafast temporal interplay of the different photocurrent mechanisms occurring in single InAs-nanowire-based circuits, an on-chip photocurrent pump-probe spectroscopy based on coplanar striplines was utilized. The data are interpreted in terms of a photo-thermoelectric current and the transport of photogenerated holes to the electrodes as the dominating ultrafast photocurrent contributions. Moreover, it is shown that THz radiation is generated in the optically excited InAs-nanowires, which is interpreted in terms of a dominating photo-Dember effect. The results are relevant for nanowire-based optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications as well as for the design of nanowire-based THz sources.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Ultrafast helicity control of surface currents in topological insulators with near-unity fidelity

In recent years, a class of solid state materials, called three-dimensional topological insulators, has emerged. In the bulk, a topological insulator behaves like an ordinary insulator with a band gap. At the surface, conducting gapless states exist showing remarkable properties such as helical Dirac dispersion and suppression of backscattering of spin-polarized charge carriers. The characterization and control of the surface states via transport experiments is often hindered by residual bulk contributions yet at cryogenic temperatures. Here, we show that surface currents in Bi2Se3 can be controlled by circularly polarized light on a picosecond time scale with a fidelity near unity even at room temperature. We re-veal the temporal separation of such ultrafast helicity-dependent surface currents from photo-induced thermoelectric and drift currents in the bulk. Our results uncover the functionality of ultrafast optoelectronic devices based on surface currents in topological insulators.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Confocal shift interferometry of coherent emission from trapped dipolar excitons

We introduce a confocal shift-interferometer based on optical fibers. The presented spectroscopy allows measuring coherence maps of luminescent samples with a high spatial resolution even at cryogenic temperatures. We apply the spectroscopy onto electrostatically trapped, dipolar excitons in a semiconductor double quantum well. We find that the measured spatial coherence length of the excitonic emission coincides with the point spread function of the confocal setup. The results are consistent with a temporal coherence of the excitonic emission down to temperatures of 250 mK.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Ultrafast electronic read-out of diamond NV centers coupled to graphene

Nonradiative transfer processes are often regarded as loss channels for an optical emitter1, since they are inherently difficult to be experimentally accessed. Recently, it has been shown that emitters, such as fluorophores and nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond, can exhibit a strong nonradiative energy transfer to graphene. So far, the energy of the transferred electronic excitations has been considered to be lost within the electron bath of the graphene. Here, we demonstrate that the trans-ferred excitations can be read-out by detecting corresponding currents with picosecond time resolution. We electrically detect the spin of nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond electronically and con-trol the nonradiative transfer to graphene by electron spin resonance. Our results open the avenue for incorporating nitrogen vacancy centers as spin qubits into ultrafast electronic circuits and for harvesting non-radiative transfer processes electronically.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Low dimensionality of the diamond surface conductivity

Undoped diamond, a remarkable bulk electrical insulator, exhibits a high surface conductivity in air when the surface is hydrogen-terminated. Although theoretical models have claimed that a two-dimensional hole gas is established as a result of surface energy band bending, no definitive experimental demonstration has been reported so far. Here, we prove the two-dimensional character of the surface conductivity by low temperature characterization of diamond in-plane gated field-effect transistors that enable the lateral confinement of the transistor's drain-source channel to nanometer dimensions. In these devices, we observe Coulomb blockade effects of multiple quantum islands varying in size with the gate voltage. The charging energy and thus the size of these zero-dimensional islands exhibits a gate voltage dependence which is the direct result of the two-dimensional character of the conductive channel formed at hydrogen-terminated diamond surfaces.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Broadband Purcell enhanced emission dynamics of quantum dots in linear photonic crystal waveguides

The authors investigate the spontaneous emission dynamics of self-assembled InGaAs quantum dots embedded in GaAs photonic crystal waveguides. For an ensemble of dots coupled to guided modes in the waveguide we report spatially, spectrally, and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements, detecting normal to the plane of the photonic crystal. For quantum dots emitting in resonance with the waveguide mode, a ~21x enhancement of photoluminescence intensity is observed as compared to dots in the unprocessed region of the wafer. This enhancement can be traced back to the Purcell enhanced emission of quantum dots into leaky and guided modes of the waveguide with moderate Purcell factors up to ~4x. Emission into guided modes is shown to be efficiently scattered out of the waveguide within a few microns, contributing to the out-of-plane emission and allowing the use of photonic crystal waveguides as broadband, efficiency-enhancing structures for surface-emitting diodes or single photon sources.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Long exciton spin memory in coupled quantum wells

Spatially indirect excitons in a coupled quantum well structure were studied by means of polarization and time resolved photoluminescence. A strong degree of circular polarization (> 50%) in emission was achieved when the excitation energy was tuned into resonance with the direct exciton state. The indirect transition remained polarized several tens of nanoseconds after the pumping laser pulse, demonstrating directly a very long relaxation time of exciton spin. The observed spin memory effect exceeds the radiative lifetime of the indirect excitons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Exploiting and engineering the optical field-enhancement in metal nanoparticle based circuits

We study the impact of optical field-enhancement effects on the optoelectronic properties of metal nanoparticle arrays. Applying a focused ion beam lithography in combination with an electron beam deposition technique we can pattern electrical contacts in a way to give rise to an electromagnetic field-enhancement. A further field-enhancement is achieved by the plasmon resonance of the particles. Both effects are directly observed in the photoconductance of the arrays.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Spin relaxation: From 2D to 1D

In inversion asymmetric semiconductors, spin-orbit interactions give rise to very effective relaxation mechanisms of the electron spin. Recent work, based on the dimensionally constrained D'yakonov Perel' mechanism, describes increasing electron-spin relaxation times for two-dimensional conducting layers with decreasing channel width. The slow-down of the spin relaxation can be understood as a precursor of the one-dimensional limit.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗