Antimony Induced {112}A Faceted Triangular GaAs1−xSbx/InP Core/Shell Nanowires and Their Enhanced Optical Quality

Mid‐infrared GaAs_1?xSb_x/InP core/shell nanowires are grown coherently with perfectly twin‐free zinc blende crystal structure. An unusual triangular InP shell with predominantly {112}A facets instead of {112}B facets is reported. It is found that this polarity preference is due to the surfactant role of Sb, which inhibits InP shell growth rate in the 〈112〉A directions. This behavior reveals a new degree of control and tunability allowed in manipulating nanowire facet geometry and polarity in radial heterostructures by a simple means. Tuning the Sb composition in the core yields controllable intense photoluminescence emission in both the 1.3 and 1.5 μm optical telecommunication windows, up to room temperature for single nanowires. The internal quantum efficiency of the core/shell nanowires is experimentally determined to be as high as 56% at room temperature. Transient Rayleigh scattering analysis brings complementary information, revealing the photoexcited carrier lifetime in the core/shell nanowire to be ≈100 ps at 300 K and ≈800 ps at 10 K. In comparison, the carrier lifetime of core‐only nanowire is below the detection limit of the system (25 ps). The demonstrated superior optical quality of the core/shell nanowires and their ideal emission wavelength range makes them highly relevant candidates for near‐infrared optoelectronic applications.     

Effects of annealing on the structural and optical properties of zinc sulfide thin films deposited by ion beam sputtering

We report the structural and optical properties of ZnS thin films fabricated by ion-beam sputtering. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results revealed a polycrystalline ZnS film with zinc blende phase as manifested by diffraction from the (111), (220) and (311) planes. Annealing resulted in the appearance of a metastable wurtzite phase with a concentration up to 26.6%. An energy bandgap, estimated from absorption spectra, was found to vary between 3.32 and 3.40 eV. The lower energy of this bandgap, as compared to bulk ZnS, is associated with the structural point defects along with mixed zinc blende and wurtzite phases of the polycrystalline ZnS films. Ion beam sputtering deposition can be used to tune the optical bandgap for potential applications in optoelectronic materials.     

Ultrasensitive Photoresponsive Devices Based on Graphene/BiI3 van der Waals Epitaxial Heterostructures

In recent years, bismuth iodide (BiI₃), a layered metal halide semiconducting light absorber with a wide bandgap of ≈1.8 eV and strong optical absorption in the visible region, has received greater attention for photovoltaic applications. In this study, ultrasensitive visible‐light photodetectors with graphene/BiI₃ vertical heterostructures are achieved by van der Waals epitaxies. The BiI₃ films deposited on graphene show flatter morphologies and significantly better crystallinities than that of BiI₃ films on SiO₂ substrates, mainly due to weak van der Waals interactions at the graphene/BiI₃ interface. Hybrid photodetectors with highly crystalline graphene/BiI₃ heterostructures demonstrate an ultrahigh responsivity of 6 × 10⁶ A W^?1, shot‐noise‐limited detectivity of 7 × 10¹⁴ Jones, and a relatively short response time of ≈8 ms. Compared to most previously reported graphene‐based hybrid photodetectors, these devices have comparable photosensitivities but a faster response speed and lower operation voltage, which is quite promising for ultralow intensity visible‐light sensors. Moreover, the electronic structure and interfacial chemistry at the graphene/BiI₃ heterojunctions are investigated using photoemission spectroscopy. The results give clear evidence that no chemical interactions occur between graphene and BiI₃, resulting in the van der Waals epitaxial growth, and the measured band bending consistently illustrates that a photoinduced charge transfer occurs at the graphene/BiI₃ interface.     

Optical characteristics of wurtzite ZnTe thin films

The growth of wurtzite ZnTe thin films with thickness between 250 and 1000 nm on borosilicate glass substrates by electron beam evaporation is reported. The formation of the wurtzite structure was confirmed using X-ray diffraction. The films showed diffraction peaks originating from the (110), (016) and (116) planes, indicating absence of any preferred orientation. The transmission of all the films was of the order of 80% in the near IR region. The refractive index of the wurtzite ZnTe phase increased with increase in thickness from 3.0 at 250 nm to 4.2 for the 1000 nm thickness film at a wavelength of 1800 nm. The optical band gap of these films increased with thickness showing values of 0.85, 0.9 and 0.98 eV at 250, 400 and 1000 nm thickness, respectively. Chemical composition studies revealed that the films were mildly non-stoichiometric with excess Te. Comparison with the zinc blende structure of ZnTe shows that the wurtzite structure has a higher refractive index, lower band gap and lower charge carrier concentration.     

Room temperature ferromagnetism in Cd1−xCrxTe diluted magnetic semiconductor crystals

Cd_1−xCr_xTe diluted magnetic semiconductor crystals were grown by vapor phase growth technique in the composition range of 0≤x≤0.05 and the effect of Cr doping on structural, morphological, optical and magnetic properties have been explored. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that all the grown crystals were zinc blende in structure without having any phase transition up to a Cr doping level of x=0.05. The lattice parameter decreased with increase in Cr doping level. Optical studies indicated that the optical band gap of the crystals decreased with the increase of Cr doping level. Magnetic properties were studied using vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature and room temperature ferromagnetism was observed in all the Cr doped CdTe crystals.     

Structural and Room‐Temperature Transport Properties of Zinc Blende and Wurtzite InAs Nanowires

Here, direct correlation between the microstructure of InAs nanowires (NWs) and their electronic transport behavior at room temperature is reported. Pure zinc blende (ZB) InAs NWs grown on SiO₂/Si substrates are characterized by a rotational twin along their growth‐direction axis while wurtzite (WZ) InAs NWs grown on InAs (111)B substrates have numerous stacking faults perpendicular to their growth‐direction axis with small ZB segments. In transport measurements on back‐gate field‐effect transistors (FETs) fabricated from both types of NWs, significantly distinct subthreshold characteristics are observed (I_on/I_off ～ 2 for ZB NWs and ～10⁴ for WZ NWs) despite only a slight difference in their transport coefficients. This difference is attributed to spontaneous polarization charges at the WZ/ZB interfaces, which suppress carrier accumulation at the NW surface, thus enabling full depletion of the WZ NW FET channel. 2D Silvaco‐Atlas simulations are used for ZB and WZ channels to analyze subthreshold current flow, and it is found that a polarization charge density of ≥10¹³ cm^?2 leads to good agreement with experimentally observed subthreshold characteristics for a WZ InAs NW given surface‐state densities in the 5 × 10¹¹–5 × 10¹² cm^?2 range.     

InP/InGaAs转移电子光阴极吸收层厚度设计与计算

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理平面波赝势法计算了InP/InGaAs转移电子光阴极吸收层材料的电学结构和光学性质,交换关联能采用杂化泛函HSE06来描述。首先对闪锌矿结构GaAs材料能带图进行计算验证,接着建立标准InGaAs材料体结构模型,并对模型进行了动力学的自洽优化,在优化后的基础上进行了非自洽的计算,得到标准InGaAs材料的复介电函数,然后根据Kramers-Kronig关系推出标准InGaAs材料光吸收系数。最后,结合转移电子光阴极量子效率模型,在给定P型标准InGaAs材料非平衡少子扩散长度分别是0.8、1.0、1.2、1.4、1.6和2.0 mm的条件下,得到对能量在0.780 260~0.820 273 eV区间内、间距为0.002 eV的不同光子能量优化的InP/InGaAs转移电子光阴极吸收层厚度。     

Ultra‐Thin Layered Ternary Single Crystals [Sn(SxSe1−x)2] with Bandgap Engineering for High Performance Phototransistors on Versatile Substrates

2D ternary semiconductor single crystals, an emerging class of new materials, have attracted significant interest recently owing to their great potential for academic interest and practical application. In addition to other types of metal dichalcogenides, 2D tin dichalcogenides are also important layered compounds with similar capabilities. Yet, multi‐elemental single crystals enable to assist multiple degrees of freedom for dominant physical properties via ratio alteration. This study reports the growth of single crystals Se‐doped SnS₂ or SnSSe alloys, and demonstrates their capability for the fabrication of phototransistors with high performance. Based on exfoliation from bulk high quality single crystals, this study establishes the characteristics of few‐layered SnSSe in structural, optical, and electrical properties. Moreover, few‐layered SnSSe phototransistors are fabricated on both rigid (SiO₂/Si) and versatile polyethylene terephthalate substrates and their optoelectronic properties are examined. SnSSe as a phototransistor is demonstrated to exhibit a high photoresponsivity of about 6000 A W^?1 with ultra‐high photogain ≈8.8 × 10⁵, fast response time ≈9 ms, and specific detectivity (D*) ≈8.2 × 10¹² J. These unique features are much higher than those of recently published phototransistors configured with other few‐layered 2D single crystals, making ultrathin SnSSe a highly qualified candidate for next‐generation optoelectronic applications.     

A pulsed synthesis of β-FeSi2 layers on silicon implanted with Fe+ ions

Continuous layers and fine-grained films of β-FeSi₂ were synthesized using the implantation of Fe⁺ ions into Si(100) with subsequent pulsed nanosecond ion-beam treatment of the implanted layers. The X-ray diffraction studies showed that the pulsed ion-beam treatment brings about the formation of a mixture of two phases: FeSi and β-FeSi₂ with strained crystal lattices. Subsequent rapid thermal annealing led to the complete transformation of the FeSi phase into the β-FeSi₂ phase with the formation of a textured layer. The data obtained using Raman spectroscopy corroborate the formation of the β-FeSi₂ phase with a high degree of silicon crystallinity. The results of measuring the optical absorption point to the formation of β-FeSi₂ layers and precipitates with a direct-gap structure, an optical gap of E _g≈0.83 eV, and an Urbach tail extent of E ₀≈220 meV. The photoluminescence band peaked at λ≈1.56 μm and caused by direct band-to-band transitions in β-FeSi₂ was observed at temperatures lower than 210 K. __________ Translated from Fizika i Tekhnika Poluprovodnikov, Vol. 35, No. 11, 2001, pp. 1320–1325. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2001 by Batalov, Bayazitov, Terukov, Kudoyarova, Weiser, Kuehne.     

Realization of Wurtzite GaSb Using InAs Nanowire Templates

The crystal structure of a material has a large impact on the electronic and material properties such as band alignment, bandgap energy, and surface energies. Au‐seeded III–V nanowires are promising structures for exploring these effects, since for most III–V materials they readily grow in either wurtzite or zinc blende crystal structure. In III–Sb nanowires however, wurtzite crystal structure growth has proven difficult. Therefore, other methods must be developed to achieve wurtzite antimonides. For GaSb, theoretical predictions of the band structure diverge significantly, but the absence of wurtzite GaSb material has prevented any experimental verification of the properties. Having access to this material is a critical step toward clearing the uncertainty in the electronic properties, improving the theoretical band structure models and potentially opening doors toward application of this material. This work demonstrates the use of InAs wurtzite nanowires as templates for realizing GaSb wurtzite shell layers with varying thicknesses. The properties of the axial and radial heterointerfaces are studied at the atomic scale by means of aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, revealing their sharpness and structural quality. The transport characterizations point toward a positive offset in the valence bandedge of wurtzite compared to zinc blende.     

Long Minority‐Carrier Diffusion Length and Low Surface‐Recombination Velocity in Inorganic Lead‐Free CsSnI3 Perovskite Crystal for Solar Cells

Sn‐based perovskites are promising Pb‐free photovoltaic materials with an ideal 1.3 eV bandgap. However, to date, Sn‐based thin film perovskite solar cells have yielded relatively low power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). This is traced to their poor photophysical properties (i.e., short diffusion lengths (<30 nm) and two orders of magnitude higher defect densities) than Pb‐based systems. Herein, it is revealed that melt‐synthesized cesium tin iodide (CsSnI₃) ingots containing high‐quality large single crystal (SC) grains transcend these fundamental limitations. Through detailed optical spectroscopy, their inherently superior properties are uncovered, with bulk carrier lifetimes reaching 6.6 ns, doping concentrations of around 4.5 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3, and minority‐carrier diffusion lengths approaching 1 µm, as compared to their polycrystalline counterparts having ≈54 ps, ≈9.2 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3, and ≈16 nm, respectively. CsSnI₃ SCs also exhibit very low surface recombination velocity of ≈2 × 10³ cm s^?1, similar to Pb‐based perovskites. Importantly, these key parameters are comparable to high‐performance p‐type photovoltaic materials (e.g., InP crystals). The findings predict a PCE of ≈23% for optimized CsSnI₃ SCs solar cells, highlighting their great potential.     

Improved nanocrystal formation,quantum confinement and carrier transport properties of doped Si quantum dot superlattices for third generation photovoltaics

An all‐Si tandem solar cell has the potential to achieve high conversion efficiency at low cost. However, the selection and synthesis of candidate material remain challenging. In this work, we show that the conventional ‘Si quantum dots (Si QDs) in SiO₂ matrix’ approach can lead to the formation of over‐sized Si nanocrystals especially when doped with phosphorous, making the size‐dependent quantum confinement less effective. Also, our investigation has shown that the high resistivity of this material has become the performance bottleneck of the solar cell. To resolve these matters, we propose a new design based on Si QDs embedded in a SiO₂/Si₃N₄ hybrid matrix. By replacing the SiO₂ tunnel barriers by the Si₃N₄ layers, the new material manages to constrain the growth of doped Si QDs effectively and enhances the apparent band gap, as shown in X‐ray diffraction, Raman, photoluminescence and optical spectroscopic measurements. Besides, electrical characterisation on Si QD/c‐Si heterointerface test structures indicates the new material possesses improved vertical carrier transport properties. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Autonomously Controlled Homogenous Growth of Wafer‐Sized High‐Quality Graphene via a Smart Janus Substrate

The work reports a new method for large‐area growth of graphene films, which have been predicted to have novel and broad applications in the future. While chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is currently the preferred method, it suffers from a rather narrow processing window, and there is also much to be desired in the electrical properties of the CVD films. A new method for large‐area growth of graphene films is reported to overcome the narrow processing window of the CVD method. A composite substrate made of a C‐dissolving top (Ni) layer and a C‐rejecting bottom (Cu) layer is designed, which evolves into a C‐rejecting mixture, to autonomously regulate the C content at an elevated yet stable level at and near the surface over an extended duration. This “smart” substrate promotes graphene formation over a wide temperature‐gas composition window, leading to reliable growth of wafer‐sized graphene films of defined layer‐thickness and superior electrical–optical properties. This “smart”‐substrate strategy can also be implemented on Si and SiO₂ supports, paving the way toward the direct fabrication of large area, graphene‐enabled electronic and photonic devices.     

Growth and crystal quality of inp crystals by the liquid encapsulated czochralski technique

The growth of InP single crystals by the liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) technique has been studied from the standpoint of improving crystal quality. Twin-free crystals have been grown reproducibly in the <lll>P direction under the following conditions; (1) using starting material which does not contain fine InP particles, (2) controlling the cone shape of the crystals such that the angle with the growth axis is less than 19.68°, (3) arranging the.hot zone to produce a temperature at the top surface of the B₂O₃ encapsulant layer below 550°C. It has been confirmed that electrical properties of nominally undoped crystals are dominated by the impurity, Si, and the concentration of Si in an LEC crystal corresponds to that of the starting material. The dislocation densities of undoped LEC InP crystals depend on thermal stresses during the growth process. This knowledge has led to the growth of dislocation-free crystals.     

Photoreflectance characterization of semiconductors and semiconductor heterostructures

The electromodulation method of photoreflectance (PR) is becoming an important tool for the characterization of semiconductors, semiconductor interfaces and semiconductor microstructures such as superlattices, quantum wells, multiple quantum wells and heterojunctions. Since PR is contactless, requires no special mounting of the sample and can be performed in a variety of transparent ambients it can be utilized for in-situ monitoring of growth at elevated temperatures, in-situ elevation at 300K before the samples are removed from the growth/processing chamber as well as convenient ex-situ characterization. This invited article discusses some recent uses of PR to measure (a) the direct gap (and spin-orbit split component) of InP up to 600° C, (b) strains in Si at the Si/SiO₂ interface, (c) changes in the surface Fermi level of GaAs caused by photowashing, (d) quantized intersubband transitions in a GaAs/Gao_0.82Al_0.18As multiple quantum well and (e) two-dimensional electron gas effects in selectively dopedn-Ga_o.7Al_o.3As/ GaAs heterostructures.     

Growth,Cathodoluminescence and Field Emission of ZnS Tetrapod Tree‐like Heterostructures

We report the growth mechanism, cathodoluminescence and field emission of dual phase ZnS tetrapod tree‐like heterostructures. This novel heterostructures consist of two phases: zinc blende for the trunk and hexagonal wurtzite for the branch. Direct evidence is presented for the polarity induced growth of tetrapod ZnS trees through high‐resolution electron microscopy study, demonstrating that Zn‐terminated ZnS (111)/(0001) polar surface is chemically active and S‐terminated ( )/(000 ) polar surface is inert in the growth of tetrapod ZnS trees. Two strong UV emissions centered at 3.68 and 3.83 eV have been observed at room temperature, which are attributed to the bandgap emissions from the zinc blende trunk and hexagonal wurtzite branch, indicating that such structures can be used as unique electromechanical and optoelectronic components in potential light sources, laser and light emitting display devices. In addition, the low turn‐on field (2.66 Vµm⁻¹), high field‐enhancement factor (over 2600), large current density (over 30 mAcm⁻² at a macroscopic field of 4.33 Vµm⁻¹) and small fluctuation (∼1%) further indicate the availability of ZnS tetrapod tree‐like heterostructures for field emission panel display. This excellent field‐emission property is attributed to the specific crystallographic feature with high crystallinity and cone‐shape patterned branch with nanometer‐sized tips. Such a structure may optimize the FE properties and make a promising field emitter.     

Si/SiO2@Graphene Superstructures for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

The superstructure composed of various functional building units is promising nanostructure for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) anodes with extreme volume change and structure instability, such as silicon-based materials. Here, a top-down route to fabricate Si/SiO₂@graphene superstructure is demonstrated through reducing silicalite-1 with magnesium reduction and depositing carbon layers. The successful formation of superstructure lies on the strong 3D network formed by the bridged-SiO₂ matrix coated around silicon nanoparticles. Furthermore, the mesoporous Si/SiO₂ with amorphous bridged SiO₂ facilitates the deposition of graphene layers, resulting in excellent structural stability and high ion/electron transport rate. The optimized Si/SiO₂@graphene superstructure anode delivers an outstanding cycling life for ≈1180 mAh g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹ over 500 cycles, excellent rate capability for ≈908 mAh g⁻¹ at 12 A g⁻¹, great areal capacity for ≈7 mAh cm⁻² at 0.5 mA cm⁻², and extraordinary mechanical stability. A full cell test using LiFePO₄ as the cathode manifests a high capacity of 134 mAh g⁻¹ after 290 loops. More notably, a series of technologies disclose that the Si/SiO₂@graphene superstructure electrode can effectively maintain the film between electrode and electrolyte in LIBs. This design of Si/SiO₂@graphene superstructure elucidates a promising potential for commercial application in high-performance LIBs.     

Growth of Bulk ZnO Single Crystals via a Novel Hydrothermal Oxidative Pressure‐Relief Route

A novel hydrothermal oxidative pressure‐relief (HOPR) route has been successfully developed for the growth of high‐quality bulk ZnO single crystals, using metallic zinc and H₂O₂ as the raw materials, at 400 °C for 20 h in an alkali solvent. X‐ray powder diffraction reveals the ZnO crystals have a wurtzite structure. Two typical morphologies of perfect hexagonal pyramidal and hexagonal prismatic ZnO single crystals, and bidirectional adhesive crystals, are identified by scanning electron microscopy analysis. The average size of the single crystals is ～ 1.0 mm in length and ～ 0.2 mm in diameter. Short hexagonal prismatic, novel polygonal layer‐like, and nanowire ZnO crystals are also obtained by altering the reaction conditions, such as the reaction time and the speed of pressure release. The growth mechanism is a spontaneous nucleation and self‐growth process. This novel HOPR route gives an alternative choice for obtaining well‐crystallized ZnO bulk crystals from solution.     

Electronic structure and optical transitions in Sn and SnGe quantum dots in a Si matrix

Self-assembled quantum dots in the Si-Ge-Sn system have attracted research attention as possible direct band gap materials, compatible with Si-based technology, with potential applications in optoelectronics. In this work, the electronic structure near the Γ-point and the interband optical matrix elements of strained Sn and SnGe quantum dots in a Si matrix are calculated using the eight-band k.p method, and the competing L-valley conduction band states were found by the effective mass method. The strain distribution in the dots was found within the continuum mechanical model. The bulk band-structure parameters, required for the k.p or effective mass calculation for Sn were extracted by fitting to the energy band structure calculated by the non-local empirical pseudopotential method (EPM). The calculations show that the self-assembled Sn/Si dots, with sizes between 4 and 12 nm, have indirect interband transition energies (from the size-quantized valence band states at Γ to the conduction band states at L) between 0.8 and 0.4 eV, and direct interband transitions between 2.5 and 2.0 eV, which agrees very well with experimental results. Similar good agreement with experiment was also found for the recently grown SnGe dots on Si substrate, covered by SiO₂. However, neither of these is predicted to be direct band gap materials, in contrast to some earlier expectations.     

Cubic Phase GaN on Nano‐grooved Si (100) via Maskless Selective Area Epitaxy

A method of forming cubic phase (zinc blende) GaN (referred as c‐GaN) on a CMOS‐compatible on‐axis Si (100) substrate is reported. Conventional GaN materials are hexagonal phase (wurtzite) (referred as h‐GaN) and possess very high polarization fields (～MV/cm) along the common growth direction of <0001>. Such large polarization fields lead to undesired shifts (e.g., wavelength and current) in the performance of photonic and vertical transport electronic devices. The cubic phase of GaN materials is polarization‐free along the common growth direction of <001>, however, this phase is thermodynamically unstable, requiring low‐temperature deposition conditions and unconventional substrates (e.g., GaAs). Here, novel nano‐groove patterning and maskless selective area epitaxy processes are employed to integrate thermodynamically stable, stress‐free, and low‐defectivity c‐GaN on CMOS‐compatible on‐axis Si. These results suggest that epitaxial growth conditions and nano‐groove pattern parameters are critical to obtain such high quality c‐GaN. InGaN/GaN multi‐quantum‐well structures grown on c‐GaN/Si (100) show strong room temperature luminescence in the visible spectrum, promising visible emitter applications for this technology.