arXiv subjects

Zhenhua Ni

Publications and source records attributed to Zhenhua Ni.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Probing the Intrinsic Optical Quality of CVD Grown MoS2

The optical emission efficiency of two dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is one of the most important parameter that affects their optoelectronic performance. Optimization of growth parameters of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to achieve optoelectronics-grade quality TMDs is therefore highly desirable. Here, we present a systematic photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic approach to assess the intrinsic optical and crystalline quality of CVD grown MoS2. We suggest that the intensity ratio between PL measured in air and vacuum could be used as an effective way to monitor the intrinsic optical quality of CVD MoS2. Low temperature PL measurements are also used to evaluate the structural defects in MoS2 by defect-associated bound exciton emission, which is well correlated with the field effect carrier mobilities of MoS2 grown at different temperatures. This work therefore provides a sensitive, noninvasive method to characterize the optical properties of TMDs, allow tuning of growth parameters for the development of optoelectronic 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

Defects as a factor limiting carrier mobility in WSe2: a spectroscopic investigation

The electrical performance of two dimensional transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is strongly influenced by the amount of structural defects inside. In this work, we provide an optical spectroscopic characterization approach to correlate the amount of structural defects and the electrical performance of WSe2 devices. Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of electron beam lithography (EBL) processed WSe2 presents a clear defect-induced PL emission due to excitons bound to defects, which would strongly degrade the electrical performance. By adopting an e-beam-free transfer-electrode technique, we are able to prepare backgated WSe2 device with limited amount of defects. A maximum hole-mobility of about 200 cm2/Vs was achieved due to reduced scattering sources, which is the highest reported value among its type. This work would not only provide a versatile and nondestructive method to monitor the defects in TMDs, but also a new route to approach the room temperature phonon-limited mobility in high performance TMDs devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

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

Strong room-temperature blue-violet photoluminescence of multiferroic BaMnF$_4$

BaMnF$_4$ microsheets have been prepared by hydrothermal method. Strong room-temperature blue-violet photoluminescence has been observed (absolute luminescence quantum yield 67%), with two peaks located at 385 nm and 410 nm, respectively. More interestingly, photon self-absorption phenomenon has been observed, leading to unusual abrupt drop of luminescence intensity at wavelength of 400 nm. To understand the underlying mechanism of such emitting, the electronic structure of BaMnF$_4$ has been studied by first principles calculations. The observed two peaks are attributed to electrons' transitions between the upper-Hubbard bands of Mn's $t_{2g}$ orbitals and the lower-Hubbard bands of Mn's $e_g$ orbitals. Those Mott gap mediated d-d orbital transitions may provide additional degrees of freedom to tune the photon generation and absorption in ferroelectrics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

A van der Waals pn heterojunction with organic/inorganic semiconductors

van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions formed by two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted tremendous attention due to their excellent electrical/optical properties and device applications. However, current 2D heterojunctions are largely limited to atomic crystals, and hybrid organic/inorganic structures are rarely explored. Here, we fabricate hybrid 2D heterostructures with p-type dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene (C8-BTBT) and n-type MoS2. We find that few-layer C8-BTBT molecular crystals can be grown on monolayer MoS2 by vdW epitaxy, with pristine interface and controllable thickness down to monolayer. The operation of the C8-BTBT/MoS2 vertical heterojunction devices is highly tunable by bias and gate voltages between three different regimes: interfacial recombination, tunneling and blocking. The pn junction shows diode-like behavior with rectifying ratio up to 105 at the room temperature. Our devices also exhibit photovoltaic responses with power conversion efficiency of 0.31% and photoresponsivity of 22mA/W. With wide material combinations, such hybrid 2D structures will offer possibilities for opto-electronic devices that are not possible from individual constituents.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

High-Performance Monolayer WS2 Field-effect Transistors on High-k Dielectrics

The combination of high-quality Al2O3 dielectric and thiol chemistry passivation can effectively reduce the density of interface traps and Coulomb impurities of WS2, leading to a significant improvement of the mobility and a transition of the charge transport from the insulating to the metallic regime. A record high mobility of 83 cm2/Vs (337 cm2/Vs) is reached at room temperature (low temperature) for monolayer WS2. A theoretical model for electron transport is also developed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Raman vibrational spectra of bulk to monolayer ReS2 with lower symmetry

Lattice structure and symmetry of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials are of key importance to their fundamental mechanical, thermal, electronic and optical properties. Raman spectroscopy, as a convenient and nondestructive tool, however has its limitations on identifying all symmetry allowing Raman modes and determining the corresponding crystal structure of 2D layered materials with high symmetry like graphene and MoS2. Due to lower structural symmetry and extraordinary weak interlayer coupling of ReS2, we successfully identified all 18 first-order Raman active modes for bulk and monolayer ReS2. Without van der Waals (vdW) correction, our local density approximation (LDA) calculations successfully reproduce all the Raman modes. Our calculations also suggest no surface reconstruction effect and the absence of low frequency rigid-layer Raman modes below 100 cm-1. Combining with Raman and LDA thus provides a general approach for studying the vibrational and structural properties of 2D layered materials with lower symmetry.

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

Strong Photoluminescence Enhancement of MoS2 through Defect Engineering and Oxygen Bonding

We report on a strong photoluminescence (PL) enhancement of monolayer MoS2 through defect engineering and oxygen bonding. Micro- PL and Raman images clearly reveal that the PL enhancement occurs at cracks/defects formed during high temperature vacuum annealing. The PL enhancement at crack/defect sites could be as high as thousands of times after considering the laser spot size. The main reasons of such huge PL enhancement include: (1) the oxygen chemical adsorption induced heavy p doping and the conversion from trion to exciton; (2) the suppression of non-radiative recombination of excitons at defect sites as verified by low temperature PL measurements. First principle calculations reveal a strong binding energy of ~2.395 eV for oxygen molecule adsorbed on an S vacancy of MoS2. The chemical adsorbed oxygen also provides a much more effective charge transfer (0.997 electrons per O2) compared to physical adsorbed oxygen on ideal MoS2 surface. We also demonstrate that the defect engineering and oxygen bonding could be easily realized by oxygen plasma irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy further confirms the formation of Mo-O bonding. Our results provide a new route for modulating the optical properties of two dimensional semiconductors. The strong and stable PL from defects sites of MoS2 may have promising applications in optoelectronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Plasma-assisted fabrication of monolayer phosphorene and its Raman characterization

There have been continuous efforts to seek for novel functional two-dimensional semiconductors with high performance for future applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics. In this work, we introduce a successful experimental approach to fabricate monolayer phosphorene by mechanical cleavage and the following Ar+ plasma thinning process. The thickness of phosphorene is unambiguously determined by optical contrast combined with atomic force microscope (AFM). Raman spectroscopy is used to characterize the pristine and plasma-treated samples. The Raman frequency of A2g mode stiffens, and the intensity ratio of A2g to A1g modes shows monotonic discrete increase with the decrease of phosphorene thickness down to monolayer. All those phenomena can be used to identify the thickness of this novel two-dimensional semiconductor efficiently. This work for monolayer phosphorene fabrication and thickness determination will facilitates the research of phosphorene.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Plasmons in graphene: Recent progress and applications

Owing to its excellent electrical, mechanical, thermal and optical properties, graphene has attracted great interests since it was successfully exfoliated in 2004. Its two dimensional nature and superior properties meet the need of surface plasmons and greatly enrich the field of plasmonics. Recent progress and applications of graphene plasmonics will be reviewed, including the theoretical mechanisms, experimental observations, and meaningful applications. With relatively low loss, high confinement, flexible feature, and good tunability, graphene can be a promising plasmonic material alternative to the noble metals. Optics transformation, plasmonic metamaterials, light harvesting etc. are realized in graphene based devices, which are useful for applications in electronics, optics, energy storage, THz technology and so on. Moreover, the fine biocompatibility of graphene makes it a very well candidate for applications in biotechnology and medical science.

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↗

arXiv2010

Electronic Structure and Structural Evolutions of Hydrogenated Graphene Probed by Raman Spectroscopy

The electronic structure and structural evolution of hydrogenated graphene are investigated by Raman spectroscopy with multiple excitations. The excitation energy dependent saturation effect on the ratio of integrated intensities of D and G modes (ID/IG) is revealed and further developed as a quick method for estimation of inter-defect distance and defect density in hydrogenated graphene. At low hydrogen coverage, the chemisorbed H atoms behave like defects in sp2 C=C matrix; while for a high hydrogen coverage, the sp3 C-H bonds become coalescent clusters, resulting in confinement effect on the sp2 C domains. Electronic structure changes caused by varying hydrogen coverage are evidenced by excitation energy dependent red shift of D and 2D bands. Our results provide a useful guide for developing applications of hydrogenated graphene, as well as using Raman spectroscopy as quick metrology of the defect density in further exploring other kinds of graphene derivatives.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

Monolayer Graphene as Saturable Absorber in Mode-locked Laser

We demonstrate that the intrinsic properties of monolayer graphene allow it to act as a more effective saturable absorber for mode-locking fiber lasers compared to multilayer graphene. The absorption of monolayer graphene can be saturated at lower excitation intensity compared to multilayer graphene, graphene with wrinkle-like defects, and functionalized graphene. Monolayer graphene has a remarkable large modulation depth of 95.3%, whereas the modulation depth of multilayer graphene is greatly reduced due to nonsaturable absorption and scattering loss. Picoseconds ultrafast laser pulse (1.23 ps) can be generated using monolayer graphene as saturable absorber. Due to the ultrafast relaxation time, larger modulation depth and lower scattering loss of monolayer graphene, it performs better than multilayer graphene in terms of pulse shaping ability, pulse stability and output energy.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2010

Gold on graphene as a substrate for surface enhanced Raman scattering study

In this paper, we report our study on gold (Au) films with different thicknesses deposited on single layer graphene (SLG) as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for the characterization of rhodamine (R6G) molecules. We find that an Au film with a thickness of ~7 nm deposited on SLG is an ideal substrate for SERS, giving the strongest Raman signals for the molecules and the weakest photoluminescence (PL) background. While Au films effectively enhance both the Raman and PL signals of molecules, SLG effectively quenches the PL signals from the Au film and molecules. The former is due to the electromagnetic mechanism involved while the latter is due to the strong resonance energy transfer from Au to SLG. Hence, the combination of Au films and SLG can be widely used in the characterization of low concentration molecules with relatively weak Raman signals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in pristine and FeCl3-intercalated bilayer graphene

Ultrafast carrier dynamics of pristine bilayer graphene (BLG) and bilayer graphene intercalated with FeCl3 (FeCl3-G), were studied using time-resolved transient differential reflection (delta R/R). Compared to BLG, the FeCl3-G data showed an opposite sign of delta R/R, a slower rise time, and a single (instead of double) exponential relaxation. We attribute these differences in dynamics to the down-shifting of the Fermi level in FeCl3-G, as well as the formation of numerous horizontal bands arising from the d-orbitals of Fe. Our work shows that intercalation can dramatically change the electronic structure of graphene, and its associated carrier dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗