arXiv subjects

Niall McEvoy

Publications and source records attributed to Niall McEvoy.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Optimized single-layer MoS2 field-effect transistors by non-covalent functionalisation

Field-effect transistors (FETs) with non-covalently functionalised molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) channels grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) on SiO2 are reported. The dangling-bond-free surface of MoS2 was functionalised with a perylene bisimide derivative to allow for the deposition of Al2O3 dielectric. This allowed the fabrication of top-gated, fully-encapsulated MoS2 FETs. Furthermore, by the definition of vertical contacts on MoS2, devices, in which the channel area was never exposed to polymers, were fabricated. The MoS2 FETs showed high mobilities for transistors fabricated on SiO2 with Al2O3 as top-gate dielectric. Thus, gate-stack engineering using innovative chemistry is a promising approach for the fabrication of reliable electronic devices based on 2D materials.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Defect Sizing, Separation and Substrate Effects in Ion-Irradiated Monolayer 2D Materials

Precise and scalable defect engineering of 2D nanomaterials is acutely sought-after in contemporary materials science. Here we present defect engineering in monolayer graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS$_2$) by irradiation with noble gas ions at 30 keV. Two ion species of different masses were used in a gas field ion source microscope: helium (He$^+$) and neon (Ne$^+$). A detailed study of the introduced defect sizes and resulting inter-defect distance with escalating ion dose was performed using Raman spectroscopy. Expanding on existing models, we found that the average defect size is considerably smaller for supported than freestanding graphene and that the rate of defect production is larger. We conclude that secondary atoms from the substrate play a significant role in defect production, creating smaller defects relative to those created by the primary ion beam. Furthermore, a similar model was also applied to supported MoS$_2$, another promising member of the 2D material family. Defect yields for both ions were obtained for MoS$_2$, demonstrating their different interaction with the material and facilitating comparison with other irradiation conditions in the literature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Highly sensitive electromechanical piezoresistive pressure sensors based on large-area layered PtSe$_{2}$ films

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials are ideal for micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) due to their ultimate thinness. Platinum diselenide (PtSe$_{2}$), an exciting and unexplored 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) material, is particularly interesting because its scalable and low temperature growth process is compatible with silicon technology. Here, we explore the potential of thin PtSe$_{2}$ films as electromechanical piezoresistive sensors. All experiments have been conducted with semimetallic PtSe$_{2}$ films grown by thermally assisted conversion of Pt at a CMOS-compatible temperature of 400°C. We report high negative gauge factors of up to -84.8 obtained experimentally from PtSe$_{2}$ strain gauges in a bending cantilever beam setup. Integrated NEMS piezoresistive pressure sensors with freestanding PMMA/PtSe$_{2}$ membranes confirm the negative gauge factor and exhibit very high sensitivity, outperforming previously reported values by orders of magnitude. We employ density functional theory (DFT) calculations to understand the origin of the measured negative gauge factor. Our results suggest PtSe$_{2}$ as a very promising candidate for future NEMS applications, including integration into CMOS production lines.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Electrical characterization of structured platinum diselenide devices

Platinum diselenide (PtSe2) is an exciting new member of the two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) family. it has a semimetal to semiconductor transition when approaching monolayer thickness and has already shown significant potential for use in device applications. Notably, PtSe2 can be grown at low temperature making it potentially suitable for industrial usage. Here, we address thickness dependent transport properties and investigate electrical contacts to PtSe2, a crucial and universal element of TMD-based electronic devices. PtSe2 films have been synthesized at various thicknesses and structured to allow contact engineering and the accurate extraction of electrical properties. Contact resistivity and sheet resistance extracted from transmission line method (TLM) measurements are compared for different contact metals and different PtSe2 film thicknesses. Furthermore, the transition from semimetal to semiconductor in PtSe2 has been indirectly verified by electrical characterization of field-effect devices. Finally, the influence of edge contacts at the metal - PtSe2 interface has been studied by nanostructuring the contact area using electron beam lithography. By increasing the edge contact length, the contact resistivity was improved by up to 70% compared to devices with conventional top contacts. The results presented here represent crucial steps towards realizing high-performance nanoelectronic devices based on group-10 TMDs.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Grain boundary-mediated nanopores in molybdenum disulfide grown by chemical vapor deposition

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a particularly interesting member of the family of two-dimensional (2D) materials due to its semiconducting and tunable electronic properties. Currently, the most reliable method for obtaining high-quality industrial scale amounts of 2D materials is chemical vapor deposition (CVD), which results in polycrystalline samples. As grain boundaries (GBs) are intrinsic defect lines within CVD-grown 2D materials, their atomic structure is of paramount importance. Here, through atomic-scale analysis of micrometer-long GBs, we show that covalently bound boundaries in 2D MoS2 tend to be decorated by nanopores. Such boundaries occur when differently oriented MoS2 grains merge during growth, whereas the overlap of grains leads to boundaries with bilayer areas. Our results suggest that the nanopore formation is related to stress release in areas with a high concentration of dislocation cores at the grain boundaries, and that the interlayer interaction leads to intrinsic rippling at the overlap regions. This provides insights for the controlled fabrication of large-scale MoS 2 samples with desired structural properties for applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

High-performance hybrid electronic devices from layered PtSe2 films grown at low temperature

Layered two-dimensional (2D) materials display great potential for a range of applications, particularly in electronics. We report the large-scale synthesis of thin films of platinum diselenide (PtSe2), a thus far scarcely investigated transition metal dichalcogenide. Importantly, the synthesis by thermal assisted conversion is performed at 400 °C, representing a breakthrough for the direct integration of this novel material with silicon (Si) technology. Besides the thorough characterization of this new 2D material, we demonstrate its promise for applications in high-performance gas sensing with extremely short response and recovery times observed due to the 2D nature of the films. Furthermore, we realized vertically-stacked heterostructures of PtSe2 on Si which act as both photodiodes and photovoltaic cells. Thus this study establishes PtSe2 as a potential candidate for next-generation sensors and (opto-)electronic devices, using fabrication protocols compatible with established Si technologies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Raman Characterization of Platinum Diselenide Thin Films

Platinum diselenide (PtSe2) is a newly discovered 2D material which is of great interest for applications in electronics and catalysis. PtSe2 films were synthesized by thermally-assisted selenization of predeposited platinum films and scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed the crystal structure of these films to be 1T. Raman scattering of these films was studied as a function of film thickness, laser wavelength and laser polarization. Eg and A1g Raman active modes were identified using polarization measurements in the Raman setup. These modes were found to display a clear position and intensity dependence with film thickness, for multiple excitation wavelengths, and their peak positions agree with simulated phonon dispersion curves for PtSe2. These results highlight the practicality of using Raman spectroscopy as a prime characterization technique for newly-synthesized 2D materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Mapping of Low-Frequency Raman Modes in CVD-Grown Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Layer Number, Stacking Orientation and Resonant Effects

Layered inorganic materials, such as the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), have attracted much attention due to their exceptional electronic and optical properties. Reliable synthesis and characterization of these materials must be developed if these properties are to be exploited. Herein, we present low-frequency Raman analysis of MoS2, MoSe2, WSe2 and WS2 grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Raman spectra are acquired over large areas allowing changes in the position and intensity of the shear and layer-breathing modes to be visualized in maps. This allows detailed characterization of mono- and few-layered TMDs which is complementary to well-established (high-frequency) Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. This study presents a major stepping stone in fundamental understanding of layered materials as mapping the low-frequency modes allows the quality, symmetry, stacking configuration and layer number of 2D materials to be probed over large areas. In addition, we report on anomalous resonance effects in the low-frequency region of the WS2 Raman spectrum.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Direct Observationof DegenerateTwo-Photon Absorption and Its Saturation in WS2 and MoS2 Monolayer and Few-Layer Films

The optical nonlinearity of WS2, MoS2 monolayer and few-layer films was investigated using the Z-scan technique with femtosecond pulses from the visible to the near infrared. The dependence of nonlinear absorption of the WS2 and MoS2 films on layer number and excitation wavelength was studied systematically. WS2 with 1~3 layers exhibits a giant two-photon absorption (TPA) coefficient. Saturation of TPA for WS2 with 1~3 layers and MoS2 with 25~27 layers was observed. The giant nonlinearity of WS2 and MoS2 is attributed to two dimensional confinement, a giant exciton effect and the band edge resonance of TPA.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Low wavenumber Raman spectroscopy of highly crystalline MoSe2 grown by chemical vapor deposition

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have recently attracted attention due to their interesting electronic and optical properties. Fabrication of these materials in a reliable and facile method is important for future applications, as are methods to characterize material quality. Here we present the chemical vapor deposition of MoSe2 monolayer and few layer crystals. These results show the practicality of using chemical vapor deposition to reliably fabricate these materials. Low frequency Raman spectra and mapping of shear and layer breathing modes of MoSe2 are presented for the first time. We correlate the behavior of these modes with layer number in the materials. The usefulness of low frequency Raman mapping to probe the symmetry, quality, and monolayer presence in CVD grown 2D materials is emphasized.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Liquid exfoliation of solvent-stabilised black phosphorus: applications beyond electronics

Few layer black phosphorus is a new two-dimensional material which is of great interest for applications, mainly in electronics. However, its lack of stability severely limits our ability to synthesise and process this material. Here we demonstrate that high-quality, few-layer black phosphorus nanosheets can be produced in large quantities by liquid phase exfoliation in the solvent N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone (CHP). We can control nanosheet dimensions and have developed metrics to estimate both nanosheet size and thickness spectroscopically. When exfoliated in CHP, the nanosheets are remarkably stable unless water is intentionally introduced. Computational studies show the degradation to occur by reaction with water molecules only at the nanosheet edge, leading to the removal of phosphorus atoms and the formation of phosphine and phosphorous acid. We demonstrate that liquid exfoliated black phosphorus nanosheets are potentially useful in a range of applications from optical switches to gas sensors to fillers for composite reinforcement.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Heterojunction Hybrid Devices from Vapor Phase Grown MoS$_{2}$

We investigate a vertically-stacked hybrid photodiode consisting of a thin n-type molybdenum disulfide (MoS$_{2}$) layer transferred onto p-type silicon. The fabrication is scalable as the MoS$_{2}$ is grown by a controlled and tunable vapor phase sulfurization process. The obtained large-scale p-n heterojunction diodes exhibit notable photoconductivity which can be tuned by modifying the thickness of the MoS$_{2}$ layer. The diodes have a broad spectral response due to direct and indirect band transitions of the nanoscale MoS$_{2}$. Further, we observe a blue-shift of the spectral response into the visible range. The results are a significant step towards scalable fabrication of vertical devices from two-dimensional materials and constitute a new paradigm for materials engineering.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗