arXiv subjects

Fengqi Song

Publications and source records attributed to Fengqi Song.

89 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Enhanced quantum coherence in graphene caused by Pd cluster deposition

We report on the unexpected increase in the dephasing lengths of a graphene sheet caused by the deposition of Pd nanoclusters, as demonstrated by weak localization measurements. The dephasing lengths reached saturated values at low temperatures. Theoretical calculations indicate the p-type charge transfer from the Pd clusters, which contributes more carriers. The saturated values of dephasing lengths often depend on both the carrier concentration and mean free path. Although some impurities are increased as revealed by decreased mobilities, the intense charge transfer leads to the improved saturated values and subsequent improved dephasing lengths.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Experimental evidence and control of the bulk-mediated intersurface coupling in topological insulator Bi2Te2Se nanoribbons

Nearly a decade after the discovery of topological insulators (TIs), the important task of identifying and characterizing their topological surface states through electrical transport experiments remains incomplete. The interpretation of these experiments is made difficult by the presence of residual bulk carriers and their coupling to surface states, which is not yet well understood. In this work, we present the first evidence for the existence and control of bulk-surface coupling in Bi2Te2Se nanoribbons, which are promising platforms for future TI-based devices. Our magnetoresistance measurements reveal that the number of coherent channels contributing to quantum interference in the nanoribbons changes abruptly when the film thickness exceeds the bulk phase relaxation length. We interpret this observation as an evidence for bulk-mediated coupling between metallic states located on opposite surfaces. This hypothesis is supported by additional magnetoresistance measurements conducted under a set of gate voltages and in a parallel magnetic field, the latter of which alters the intersurface coupling in a controllable way.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Two-dimensional Quasi-Freestanding Molecular Crystals for High-Performance Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Two-dimensional atomic crystals are extensively studied in recent years due to their exciting physics and device applications. However, a molecular counterpart, with scalable processability and competitive device performance, is still challenging. Here, we demonstrate that high-quality few-layer dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene molecular crystals can be grown on graphene or boron nitride substrate via van der Waals epitaxy, with precisely controlled thickness down to monolayer, large-area single crystal, low process temperature and patterning capability. The crystalline layers are atomically smooth and effectively decoupled from the substrate due to weak van der Waals interactions, affording a pristine interface for high-performance organic transistors. As a result, monolayer dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene molecular crystal field-effect transistors on boron nitride show record-high carrier mobility up to 10cm2V-1s-1 and aggressively scaled saturation voltage around 1V. Our work unveils an exciting new class of two-dimensional molecular materials for electronic and optoelectronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Indications of the topological transport by the universal conductance fluctuations in the Bi2Te2Se microflakes

Universal conductance fluctuations (UCFs) are extracted in the magnetoresistance responses in the bulk-insulating Bi2Te2Se microflakes. Its two-dimensional character is demonstrated by the field-tilting magnetoresistance measurements. Its origin from the surface electrons is determined by the fact that the UCF amplitudes keep unchanged while applying an in-plane field to suppress the coherence of bulk electrons. After considering the ensemble average in a batch of micrometer-sized samples, the intrinsic UCF magnitudes of over 0.37 e2/h is obtained. This agrees with the theoretical prediction on topological surface states. All the evidence point to the successful observation of the UCF of topological surface states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Aging the Cu-doped Bi2Te3 crystals for the topological transport and its atomic tunneling-clustering dynamics

We report on the observation of the two-dimensional weak antilocalization in (Cu0.1Bi0.9)2Te3.06 crystals relying on measurements of the magnetoresistance in a tilted field. The dephasing analysis and scanning tunneling spectroscopy corroborate the transport of the topological surface states (SS). The SSs contribute 3.3% conductance in 30μm-thick material and become dominant in the 100nm-thick flakes. Such optimized topological SS transport is achieved by an intense aging process, when the bulk conductance is suppressed by four orders of magnitude in the long period. Scanning tunneling microscopy reveals that Cu atoms are initially inside the quintuple layers and migrate to the layer gaps to form Cu clusters during the aging. In combination with first-principles calculations, an atomic tunneling-clustering procedure across a diffusion barrier of 0.57eV is proposed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Hopping Transport through Defect-induced Localized States in Molybdenum Disulfide

Molybdenum disulfide is a novel two-dimensional semiconductor with potential applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, the nature of charge transport in back-gated devices still remains elusive as they show much lower mobility than theoretical calculations and native n-type doping. Here we report transport study in few-layer molybdenum disulfide, together with transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory. We provide direct evidence that sulfur vacancies exist in molybdenum disulfide, introducing localized donor states inside the bandgap. Under low carrier densities, the transport exhibits nearest-neighbor hopping at high temperatures and variable-range hopping at low temperatures, which can be well explained under Mott formalism. We suggest that the low-carrier-density transport is dominated by hopping via these localized gap states. Our study reveals the important role of short-range surface defects in tailoring the properties and device applications of molybdenum disulfide.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Shubnikov de Haas quantum oscillation of the surface states in the metallic Bismuth Telluride sheets

Metallic Bi2Te3 crystalline sheets with the room-temperature resistivity of above 10 mΩ cm were prepared and their magnetoresistive transport was measured in a field of up to 9 Tesla. The Shubnikov de Haas oscillations were identified from the secondly-derived magnetoresistance curves. While changing the angle between the field and normal axis of the sheets, we find that the oscillation periods present a cosine dependence on the angle. This indicates a two-dimensional transport due to the surface state. The work reveals a resolvable surface contribution to the overall conduction even in a metallic topological insulator.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Two-dimensional universal conductance fluctuations and the electron-phonon interaction of topological surface states in Bi2Te2Se nanoribbons

The universal conductance fluctuations (UCFs), one of the most important manifestations of mesoscopic electronic interference, have not yet been demonstrated for the two-dimensional surface state of topological insulators (TIs). Even if one delicately suppresses the bulk conductance by improving the quality of TI crystals, the fluctuation of the bulk conductance still keeps competitive and difficult to be separated from the desired UCFs of surface carriers. Here we report on the experimental evidence of the UCFs of the two-dimensional surface state in the bulk insulating Bi2Te2Se nanoribbons. The solely-B\perp-dependent UCF is achieved and its temperature dependence is investigated. The surface transport is further revealed by weak antilocalizations. Such survived UCFs of the topological surface states result from the limited dephasing length of the bulk carriers in ternary crystals. The electron-phonon interaction is addressed as a secondary source of the surface state dephasing based on the temperature-dependent scaling behavior.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Visualizing plasmon coupling in closely-spaced chains of Ag nanoparticles by electron energy loss spectroscopy

Anisotropic plasmon coupling in closely-spaced chains of Ag nanoparticles was visualized using the electron energy loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope. For dimers as the simplest chain, mapping the plasmon excitations with nanometers' spatial resolution and 0.27 eV energy resolution intuitively identified two coupling plasmons. The in-phase mode redshifted from the ultraviolet region as the inter-particle spacing was reduced, reaching the visible range at 2.7 eV. Calculations based on the discrete dipole approximation confirmed its optical activeness, where the longitudinal direction was constructed as the path for light transportation. Two coupling paths were then observed in an inflexed 4-particle chain.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Experimental evidence on the Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak interference of the topological surface states in the exfoliated Bi2Te3 nanoflakes

Here we demonstrate the Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak (AAS) interference of the topological surface states on the exfoliated Bi2Te3 microflakes by a flux period of h/2e in their magnetoresistance oscillations and its weak field character. Both the osillations with the period of h/e and h/2e are observed. The h/2e-period AAS oscillation gradually dominates with increasing the sample widths and the temperatures. This reveals the transition of the Dirac Fermions' transport to the diffusive regime.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Visualizing topological insulating Bi2Te3 quintuple layers on SiO2-capped Si substrates and its contrast optimization

Thin Bi2Te3 flakes, with as few as 3 quintuple layers, are optically visualized on the SiO2-capped Si substrates. Their optical contrasts vary with the illumination wavelength, flake thickness and capping layers. The maximum contrast appears at the optimized light with the 570nm wavelength. The contrast turns reversed when the flake is reduced to less than 20 quintuple layers. A calculation based on the Fresnel law describes the above observation with the constructions of the layer number-wave length-contrast three-dimensional (3D) diagram and the cap thickness-wavelength-contrast 3D diagram, applicative in the current studies of topological insulating flakes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Calibrating the atomic balance by carbon nanoclusters

Carbon atoms are counted at near atomic-level precision using a scanning transmission electron microscope calibrated by carbon nanocluster mass standards. A linear calibration curve governs the working zone from a few carbon atoms up to 34,000 atoms. This linearity enables adequate averaging of the scattering cross sections, imparting the experiment with near atomic-level precision despite the use of a coarse mass reference. An example of this approach is provided for thin layers of stacked graphene sheets. Suspended sheets with a thickness below 100 nm are visualized, providing quantitative measurement in a regime inaccessible to optical and scanning probe methods.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Two-step splitting the expandable graphite for few-layer graphene

Few-layer graphene sheets are prepared by splitting the expanded graphites using a high-power sonication. Atomic-level quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy (Q-STEM) is employed to carry out the efficient layer statisticsm, enabling global optimization of the experimental conditions. A two-step splitting mechanism is thus revealed, in which the mean layer number was firstly reduced to less than 20 by heating to 1100°C and then tuned to the few-layer region by a 5-minute 104W/litre sonication. Raman spectroscopic analysis confirms the above mechanism and demonstrates that the sheets are largely free of defects and oxides.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Experimental observation of nanojets formed by heating the PbO-coated Pb clusters

In this article, we will present the first experimental observation of nanojets formed by heating PbO-coated Pb clusters, which has been predicted theoretically by M. Moseler and U Landman. During the heating, the hot liquid ejects through the broken orifice into vacuum, and forms a condensed trail in the tadpole shape as shown in the TEM micrographs. The temperature-variable Raman spectra indicates that the nanojet formation is closely related to the heating temperature and thus essentially to the internal pressure in the coated clusters. The pressure inside the shell, which rises from the inner core's melting and its confined volume expansion and then drops after the final explosion, dominates the whole nanojetting process.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Free-standing Graphene as Gold Standard

We demonstrate using graphene sheets as a novel mass standard in the scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) based mass spectrometry. Here, free-standing graphene sheets are investigated by STEM. The discrete number of graphene layers enables an accurate calibration of STEM intensity, as performed over an extended thickness and with single atomic layer sensitivity. This leads to the direct and accurate measurement of the electron mean free path. As an application, we gain the insight of carbon nanoparticles of complex structure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Films with the discrete nano-DLC-particles as the field emission cascade

The films with the discrete diamond-like-carbon nanoparticles were prepared by the deposition of the carbon nanoparticle beam. Their morphologies were imaged by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The nanoparticles were found distributed on the silicon (100) substrate discretely. The semisphere shapes of the nanoparticles were demonstrated by the AFM line profile. EELS was measured and the sp3 ratio as high as 86% was found. The field-induced electron emission of the as-prepared cascade (nanoDLC/ Si) was tested and the current density of 1mA/cm2 was achieved at 10.2V/μm.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Low energy cluster beam deposited BN films as the cascade for Field Emission

The atomic deposited BN films with the thickness of nanometers (ABN) were prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method and the nanostructured BN films (CBN) were prepared by Low Energy Cluster Beam Deposition. UV-Vis Absorption measurement proves the band gap of 4.27eV and field emission of the BN films were carried out. F-N plots of all the samples give a good fitting and demonstrate the F-N tunneling of the emission process. The emission of ABN begins at the electric field of 14.6 V/μm while that of CBN starts at 5.10V/μm. Emission current density of 1mA/cm2 for ABN needs the field of 20V/μm while that of CBN needs only 12.1V/μm. The cluster-deposited BN on n-type Silicon substrate proves a good performance in terms of the lower gauge voltage, more emission sites and higher electron intensity and seems a promising substitute for the cascade of Field Emission.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗