arXiv subjects

Weida Hu

Publications and source records attributed to Weida Hu.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Design for the First Narrowband Filter for the Dark Energy Camera: Optimizing the LAGER Survey for z ~ 7 Galaxies

We present the design for the first narrowband filter NB964 for the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), which is operated on the 4m Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. The NB964 filter profile is essentially defined by maximizing the power of searching for Lyman alpha emitting galaxies (LAEs) in the epoch of reionization, with the consideration of the night sky background in the near-infrared and the DECam quantum efficiency. The NB964 filter was manufactured by Materion in 2015. It has a central wavelength of 964.2 nm and a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 9.2 nm. An NB964 survey named LAGER (Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization) has been ongoing since December 2015. Here we report results of lab tests, on-site tests and observations with the NB964 filter. The excellent performances of this filter ensure that the LAGER project is able to detect LAEs at z~7 with a high efficiency.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Palladium Diselenide Long-Wavelength Infrared Photodetector with High Sensitivity and Stability

A long-wavelength infrared (IR) photodetector based on two-dimensional materials working at room temperature would have wide applications in many aspects in remote sensing, thermal imaging, biomedical optics, and medical imaging. However, sub-bandgap light detection in graphene and black phosphorus has been a long-standing scientific challenge because of low photoresponsivity, instability in the air and highdark current. In this study, we report a highly sensitive, air-stable and operable long-wavelength infrared photodetector at room temperature based on PdSe2 phototransistors and its heterostructure. A high photoresponsivity of ~42.1 AW-1 (at 10.6 μm) was demonstrated, which is an order of magnitude higher than the current record of platinum diselenide. Moreover, the dark current and noise power density were suppressed effectively by fabricating a van der Waals heterostructure. This work fundamentally contributes to establishing long-wavelength infrared detection by PdSe2 at the forefront of long-IR two-dimensional-materials-based photonics.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Observation of ballistic avalanche phenomena in nanoscale vertical InSe/BP heterostructures

Initiating impact ionization of avalanche breakdown essentially requires applying a high electric field in a long active region, hampering carrier-multiplication with high gain, low bias and superior noise performance. Here we report the observation of ballistic avalanche phenomena in sub-MFP scaled vertical indium selenide (InSe)/black phosphorus (BP) heterostructures. The heterojunction is engineered to avalanche photodetectors (APD) and impact ionization transistors, demonstrating ultra-sensitive mid-IR light detection (4 μm wavelength) and ultra-steep subthreshold swing, respectively. These devices show an extremely low avalanche threshold (<1 volt), excellent low noise figures and distinctive density spectral shape. Further transport measurement evidences the breakdown originals from a ballistic avalanche phenomenon, where the sub-MFP BP channel enables both electrons and holes to impact-ionize the lattice and abruptly amplify the current without scattering from the obstacles in a deterministic nature. Our results shed light on the development of advanced photodetectors and efficiently facilitating carriers on the nanoscale.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Negative Photoconductance in van der Waals Heterostructures-Based Floating Gate Phototransistor

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures made of two-dimensional materials have been demonstrated to be versatile architectures for optoelectronic applications due to strong light-matter interactions. However, most of light-controlled phenomena and applications in the vdW heterostructures rely on positive photoconductance (PPC). Negative photoconductance (NPC) has not yet been reported in vdW heterostructures. Here we report the observation of the NPC in ReS2/h-BN/MoS2 vdW heterostructures-based floating gate phototransistor. The fabricated devices exhibit excellent performance of nonvolatile memory without light illumination. More interestingly, we observe a gate-tunable transition between the PPC and the NPC under the light illumination. The observed NPC phenomenon can be attributed to the charge transfer between floating gate and conduction channel. Furthermore, we show that the control of NPC through light intensity is promising in realization of light-tunable multi-bit memory devices. Our results may enable potential applications in multifunctional memories and optoelectronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

First Spectroscopic Confirmations of z ~ 7.0 Lya Emitting Galaxies in the LAGER Survey

Narrowband imaging is a highly successful approach for finding large numbers of high redshift Lya emitting galaxies (LAEs) up to z~6.6. However, at z>~7 there are as yet only 3 narrowband selected LAEs with spectroscopic confirmations (two at z~6.9-7.0, one at z~7.3), which hinders extensive studies on cosmic reionization and galaxy evolution at this key epoch. We have selected 23 candidate z~6.9 LAEs in COSMOS field with the large area narrowband survey LAGER (Lyman-Alpha Galaxies at the End of Reionization). In this work we present spectroscopic followup observations of 12 candidates using IMACS on Magellan. For 9 of these, the observations are sufficiently deep to detect the expected lines. Lya emission lines are identified in six sources (yielding a success rate of 2/3), including 3 luminous LAEs with Lya luminosities of L(Lya) ~ 10^{43.5} erg/s, the highest among known spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at >~7.0. This triples the sample size of spectroscopically confirmed narrowband selected LAEs at z>~7, and confirms the bright end bump in the Lya luminosity function we previously derived based on the photometric sample, supporting a patchy reionization scenario. Two luminous LAEs appear physically linked with projected distance of 1.1 pMpc and velocity difference of ~ 170 km/s. They likely sit in a common ionized bubble produced by themselves or with close neighbors, which reduces the IGM attenuation of Lya. A tentative narrow NV$λ$1240 line is seen in one source, hinting at activity of a central massive black hole with metal rich line emitting gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Intrinsic p-type W-based transition metal dichalcogenide by substitutional Ta-doping

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have recently emerged as promising candidates for future electronics and optoelectronics. While most of TMDs are intrinsic n-type semiconductors due to electron donating which originates from chalcogen vacancies, obtaining intrinsic high-quality p-type semiconducting TMDs has been challenging. Here, we report an experimental approach to obtain intrinsic p-type Tungsten (W)-based TMDs by substitutional Ta-doping. The obtained few-layer Ta-doped WSe2 (Ta0.01W0.99Se2) field-effect transistor (FET) devices exhibit competitive p-type performances, including ~10^6 current on/off at room temperature. We also demonstrate high quality van der Waals (vdW) p-n heterojunctions based on Ta0.01W0.99Se2/MoS2 structure, which exhibit nearly ideal diode characteristics (with an ideality factor approaching 1 and a rectification ratio up to 10^5) and excellent photodetecting performance. Our study suggests that substitutional Ta-doping holds great promise to realize intrinsic p-type W-based TMDs for future electronic and photonic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

First Results from the Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) Survey: Cosmological Reionization at z ~ 7

We present the first results from the ongoing LAGER project (Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization), which is the largest narrowband survey for $z \sim$ 7 galaxies to date. Using a specially built narrowband filter NB964 for the superb large-area Dark-Energy Camera (DECam) on the NOAO/CTIO 4m Blanco telescope, LAGER has collected 34 hours NB964 narrowband imaging data in the 3 deg$^2$ COSMOS field. We have identified 23 Lyman Alpha Emitter (LAE) candidates at $z$ = 6.9 in the central 2-deg$^2$ region, where DECam and public COSMOS multi-band images exist. The resulting luminosity function can be described as a Schechter function modified by a significant excess at the bright end (4 galaxies with $L_{Lyα} \sim $ 10$^{43.4\pm0.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$). The number density at $L_{Lyα}\sim$ 10$^{43.4\pm0.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$ is little changed from z= 6.6, while at fainter $L_{Lyα}$ it is substantially reduced. Overall, we see a fourfold reduction in Ly$α$ luminosity density from $z$ = 5.7 to 6.9. Combined with a more modest evolution of the continuum UV luminosity density, this suggests a factor of $\sim 3$ suppression of Ly$α$ by radiative transfer through the $z \sim$ 7 intergalactic medium (IGM). It indicates an IGM neutral fraction $x_{HI}$ $\sim$ 0.4--0.6 (assuming Ly$α$ velocity offsets of 100-200 km s$^{-1}$). The changing shape of the Ly$α$ luminosity function between $z\lesssim 6.6$ and $z=6.9$ supports the hypothesis of ionized bubbles in a patchy reionization at $z\sim$ 7.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Room-temperature high detectivity mid-infrared photodetectors based on black arsenic phosphorus

The mid-infrared (MIR) spectral range, pertaining to important applications such as molecular 'fingerprint' imaging, remote sensing, free space telecommunication and optical radar, is of particular scientific interest and technological importance. However, state-of-the-art materials for MIR detection are limited by intrinsic noise and inconvenient fabrication processes, resulting in high cost photodetectors requiring cryogenic operation. We report black arsenic-phosphorus-based long wavelength infrared photodetectors with room temperature operation up to 8.2 um, entering the second MIR atmospheric transmission window. Combined with a van der Waals heterojunction, room temperature specific detectivity higher than 4.9*10^9 Jones was obtained in the 3-5 um range. The photodetector works in a zero-bias photovoltaic mode, enabling fast photoresponse and low dark noise. Our van der Waals heterojunction photodector not only exemplify black arsenic-phosphorus as a promising candidate for MIR opto-electronic applications, but also pave the way for a general strategy to suppress 1/f noise in photonic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

High-performance graphene photodetector by interfacial gating

Graphene based photo-detecting has received great attentions and the performance of such detector is stretching to both ends of high sensitivity and ultra-fast response. However, limited by the current photo-gating mechanism, the price for achieving ultra-high sensitivity is sacrificing the response time. Detecting weak signal within short response time is crucial especially in applications such as optical positioning, remote sensing, and biomedical imaging. In this work, we bridge the gap between ultra-fast response and ultra-high sensitivity by employing a graphene/SiO2/lightly-doped-Si architecture with revolutionary interfacial gating mechanism. Such device is capable to detect < 1 nW signal (with responsivity of ~1000 A W-1) and the spectral response extends from visible to near-infrared. More importantly, the photoresponse time of our device has been pushed to ~400 ns. The current device structure does not need complicated fabrication process and is fully compatible with the silicon technology. This work will not only open up a route to graphene-based high performance optoelectronic devices, but also have great potential in ultra-fast weak signal detection.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Wafer-scale arrayed p-n junctions based on few-layer epitaxial GaTe

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted substantial attention in electronic and optoelectronic applications with superior advantages of being flexible, transparent and highly tunable. Gapless graphene exhibits ultra-broadband and fast photoresponse while the 2D semiconducting MoS2 and GaTe unveil high sensitivity and tunable responsivity to visible light. However, the device yield and the repeatability call for a further improvement of the 2D materials to render large-scale uniformity. Here we report a layer-by-layer growth of wafer-scale GaTe with a hole mobility of 28.4 cm2/Vs by molecular beam epitaxy. The arrayed p-n junctions were developed by growing few-layer GaTe directly on three-inch Si wafers. The resultant diodes reveal good rectifying characteristics, photoresponse with a maximum photoresponsivity of 2.74 A/W and a high photovoltaic external quantum efficiency up to 62%. The photocurrent reaches saturation fast enough to capture a time constant of 22 μs and shows no sign of device degradation after 1.37 million cycles of operation. Most strikingly, such high performance has been achieved across the entire wafer, making the volume production of devices accessible. Finally, several photo-images were acquired by the GaTe/Si photodiodes with a reasonable contrast and spatial resolution, demonstrating for the first time the potential of integrating the 2D materials with the silicon technology for novel optoelectronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Arrayed van der Waals Vertical Heterostructures based on 2D GaSe Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Vertically stacking two dimensional (2D) materials can enable the design of novel electronic and optoelectronic devices and realize complex functionality. However, the fabrication of such artificial heterostructures in wafer scale with an atomically-sharp interface poses an unprecedented challenge. Here, we demonstrate a convenient and controllable approach for the production of wafer-scale 2D GaSe thin films by molecular beam epitaxy. In-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction oscillations and Raman spectroscopy reveal a layer-by-layer van der Waals epitaxial growth mode. Highly-efficient photodetector arrays were fabricated based on few-layer GaSe on Si. These photodiodes show steady rectifying characteristics and a relatively high external quantum efficiency of 23.6%. The resultant photoresponse is super-fast and robust with a response time of 60 us. Importantly, the device shows no sign of degradation after 1 million cycles of operation. Our study establishes a new approach to produce controllable, robust and large-area 2D heterostructures and presents a crucial step for further practical applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Broadband Photovoltaic Detectors based on an Atomically Thin Heterostructure

Van der Waals junctions of two-dimensional materials with an atomically sharp interface open up unprecedented opportunities to design and study functional heterostructures. Semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides have shown tremendous potential for future applications due to their unique electronic properties and strong light-matter interaction. However, many important optoelectronic applications, such as broadband photodetection, are severely hindered by their limited spectral range and reduced light absorption. Here, we present a p-g-n heterostructure formed by sandwiching graphene with a gapless bandstructure and wide absorption spectrum in an atomically thin p-n junction to overcome these major limitations. We have successfully demonstrated a MoS2-graphene-WSe2 heterostructure for broadband photodetection in the visible to short-wavelength infrared range at room temperature that exhibits competitive device performance, including a specific detectivity of up to 1011 Jones in the near-infrared region. Our results pave the way toward the implementation of atomically thin heterostructures for broadband and sensitive optoelectronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

High responsivity phototransistors based on few-layer ReS2 for weak signal detection

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides are emerging with tremendous potential in many optoelectronic applications due to their strong light-matter interactions. To fully explore their potential in photoconductive detectors, high responsivity and weak signal detection are required. Here, we present high responsivity phototransistors based on few-layer rhenium disulfide (ReS2). Depending on the back gate voltage, source drain bias and incident optical light intensity, the maximum attainable photoresponsivity can reach as high as 88,600 A W-1, which is a record value compared to other two-dimensional materials with similar device structures and two orders of magnitude higher than that of monolayer MoS2. Such high photoresponsivity is attributed to the increased light absorption as well as the gain enhancement due to the existence of trap states in the few-layer ReS2 flakes. It further enables the detection of weak signals, as successfully demonstrated with weak light sources including a lighter and limited fluorescent lighting. Our studies underscore ReS2 as a promising material for future sensitive optoelectronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Ultrasensitive and broadband MoS2 photodetector driven by ferroelectrics

Photodetectors based on two dimensional materials have attracted growing interest. However, the sensitivity is still unsatisfactory even under high gate voltage. Here we demonstrate a MoS2 photodetector with a poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) ferroelectric layer in place of the oxide layer in a traditional field effect transistor. The dark current of the photodetector is strongly suppressed by ferroelectric polarization. A high detectivity 2.21012 Jones) and photoresponsitivity (2570 A W) detector has been achieved under ZERO gate bias at a wavelength of 635 nm. Most strikingly, the band gap of few-layer MoS2 can be tuned by the ultra-high electrostatic field from the ferroelectric polarization. With this characteristic, photoresponse wavelengths of the photodetector are extended into the near infrared (0.85-1.55m). A ferroelectrics optoelectronics hybrid structure is an effective way to achieve high performance 2D electronic optoelectronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

ReS2-based field-effect transistors and photodetectors

Atomically-thin two-dimensional (2D) layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been extensively studied in recent years because of their appealing electrical and optical properties. Here, we report on the fabrication of ReS2 field-effect transistors via the encapsulation of ReS2 nanosheets in a high-\k{appa} Al2O3 dielectric environment. Low-temperature transport measurements allowed us to observe a direct metal-to-insulator transition originating from strong electron-electron interactions. Remarkably, the photodetectors based on ReS2 exhibit gate-tunable photoresponsivity up to 16.14 A/W and external quantum efficiency reaching 3,168 %, showing a competitive device performance to those reported in graphene, MoSe2, GaS and GaSe-based photodetectors. Our study unambiguously distinguishes ReS2 as a new candidate for future applications in electronics and optoelectronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗