Layered crystals are known to be good candidates for bulk thermoelectric applications as they open new ways to realise highly efficient devices. Two dimensional materials, isolated from layered materials, and their stacking into heterostructures have attracted intense research attention for nanoscale applications due to their high Seebeck coefficient and possibilities to engineer their thermoelectric properties. However, integration to thermoelectric devices is problematic due to their usually high thermal conductivities. Reporting on thermal transport studies between 150 and 300 K, we show that franckeite, a naturally occurring 2D heterostructure, exhibits a very low thermal conductivity which combined with its previously reported high Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductance make it a promising candidate for low dimensional thermoelectric applications. We find cross- and in-plane thermal conductivity values at room temperature of 0.70 and 0.88 W m(-1) K-1, respectively, which is one of the lowest values reported today for 2D-materials. Interestingly, a 1.77 nm thick layer of franckeite shows very low thermal conductivity similar to one of the most widely used thermoelectric material Bi2Te3 with the thickness of 10-20 nm. We show that this is due to the low Debye frequency of franckeite and scattering of phonon transport through van der Waals interface between different layers. This observation open new routes for high efficient ultra-thin thermoelectric applications.

Pixel binning is a technique, widely used in optical image acquisition and spectroscopy, in which adjacent detector elements of an image sensor are combined into larger pixels. This reduces the amount of data to be processed as well as the impact of noise, but comes at the cost of a loss of information. Here, we push the concept of binning to its limit by combining a large fraction of the sensor elements into a single “superpixel” that extends over the whole face of the chip. For a given pattern recognition task, its optimal shape is determined from training data using a machine learning algorithm. We demonstrate the classification of optically projected images from the MNIST dataset on a nanosecond timescale, with enhanced dynamic range and without loss of classification accuracy. Our concept is not limited to imaging alone but can also be applied in optical spectroscopy or other sensing applications.

Optoelectronic devices with nonvolatile memory are an important component in a wide variety of applications ranging from optoelectronic random-access-memories, with the advantage of using optical stimuli as an added parameter, to complex artificial neuromorphic networks that pretend to mimic the working schemes of the human brain. In the past few years, 2D materials have been proposed as attractive candidates to build such optoelectronic devices with memory due to their excellent optoelectronic properties and high sensitivity to external electric fields. Here, a WSe2 monolayer p-n junction working as a nonvolatile programmable photodetector is reported, that, enabled by a split-gate configuration with embedded charge-trapping layers, is capable of retaining custom responsivity values over time, prior configuration by the user. Once configured, this photodetector can operate without external applied bias voltage as a self-driven photodetector, as well as without external back-gate voltage thanks to the charge stored in the floating gates. Furthermore, the device shows a remarkable performance, with open-circuit voltage around 1 V at approximately 270 W m(-2) white light, fill factor higher than 30%, and fast response times. This programmable photodetector sets a new concept as a building block in more complex image-sensing systems.

Single quantum emitters (SQEs) are the basic building blocks for quantum optics and quantum information technology. Strain-induced defects in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been shown to be a promising platform for the generation of SQEs. In particular, achieving optically active and electrically controlled quantum emitters make these materials attractive for applications ranging from quantum communication and optoelectronics to high resolution metrology. Here, we report the spectral photoresponse of monolayer WSe(2)upon strain, where we observe a connection between single-photon emission and photocurrent (PC) generation in a p-n device. A strong antibunching in second-order correlation from this localized emitter unambiguously demonstrates the single-photon nature of the emission, whereas the PC is highly dominated by the absorption at such a localized state, showing an exponential dependence with the applied electric field. Furthermore, we can resolve narrow PC peaks with 1.0 meV spectral width.

Machine vision technology has taken huge leaps in recent years, and is now becoming an integral part of various intelligent systems, including autonomous vehicles and robotics. Usually, visual information is captured by a frame-based camera, converted into a digital format and processed afterwards using a machine-learning algorithm such as an artificial neural network (ANN)1. The large amount of (mostly redundant) data passed through the entire signal chain, however, results in low frame rates and high power consumption. Various visual data preprocessing techniques have thus been developed2-7 to increase the efficiency of the subsequent signal processing in an ANN. Here we demonstrate that an image sensor can itself constitute an ANN that can simultaneously sense and process optical images without latency. Our device is based on a reconfigurable two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor8,9 photodiode10-12 array, and the synaptic weights of the network are stored in a continuously tunable photoresponsivity matrix. We demonstrate both supervised and unsupervised learning and train the sensor to classify and encode images that are optically projected onto the chip with a throughput of 20 million bins per second.

Nanoscale scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) transport measurements from cryogenic to room temperature on 2D structures with sub 30 nm resolution are reported. This novel cryogenic operation of SThM, extending the temperature range of the sample down to 150 K, yields a clear insight into the nanothermal properties of the 2D nanostructures and supports the model of ballistic transport contribution at the edge of the detached areas of exfoliated graphene which leads to a size-dependent thermal resistance of the detached material. The thermal resistance of graphene on SiO2 is increased by one order of magnitude by the addition of a top layer of MoS2, over the temperature range of 150-300 K, providing pathways for increasing the efficiency of thermoelectric applications using van der Waals (vdW) materials. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that this increase originates from the phonon transport filtering in the weak vdW coupling between the layers and the vibrational mismatch between MoS2 and graphene layers.

In recent years, machine vision has taken huge leaps and is now becoming an integral part of various intelligent systems, including autonomous vehicles, robotics, and many others. Usually, visual information is captured by a frame-based camera, converted into a digital format, and processed afterwards using a machine learning algorithm such as an artificial neural network (ANN). A large amount of (mostly redundant) data being passed through the entire signal chain, however, results in low frame rates and large power consumption. Various visual data preprocessing techniques have thus been developed that allow to increase the efficiency of the subsequent signal processing in an ANN. Here, we demonstrate that an image sensor itself can constitute an ANN that is able to simultaneously sense and process optical images without latency. Our device is based on a reconfigurable two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor photodiode array, with the synaptic weights of the network being stored in a continuously tunable photoresponsivity matrix. We demonstrate both supervised and unsupervised learning and successfully train the sensor to classify and encode images, that are optically projected onto the chip, with a throughput of 20 million bins per second.

Light emission from higher-order correlated excitonic states has been recently reported in hBN-encapsulated monolayer WSe2 and WS2 upon optical excitation. These exciton complexes are found to be bound states of excitons residing in opposite valleys in momentum space, a promising feature that could be employed in valleytronics or other novel optoelectronic devices. However, electrically-driven light emission from such exciton species is still lacking. Here we report electroluminescence from bright and dark excitons, negatively charged trions and neutral and negatively charged biexcitons, generated by a pulsed gate voltage, in hexagonal boron nitride encapsulated monolayer WSe2 and WS2 with graphene as electrode. By tailoring the pulse parameters we are able to tune the emission intensity of the different exciton species in both materials. We find the electroluminescence from charged biexcitons and dark excitons to be as narrow as 2.8 meV.

Get PDF Email Share Share with Facebook Tweet This Post on reddit Share with LinkedIn Add to CiteULike Add to Mendeley Add to BibSonomy Get Citation Copy Citation Text T. Mueller, L. Mennel, M. Paur, and A. Molina-Mendoza, "Second Harmonic Generation and Electroluminescence in 2D Semiconductors," in OSA Advanced Photonics Congress (AP) 2019 (IPR, Networks, NOMA, SPPCom, PVLED), OSA Technical Digest (Optica Publishing Group, 2019), paper NoW2B.2. Export Citation BibTex Endnote (RIS) HTML Plain Text Citation alert Save article

Light emission from higher-order correlated excitonic states has been recently reported in hBN-encapsulated monolayer WSe2 and WS2 upon optical excitation. These exciton complexes are found to be bound states of excitons residing in opposite valleys in momentum space, a promising feature that could be employed in valleytronics or other novel optoelectronic devices. However, electrically-driven light emission from such exciton species is still lacking. Here we report electroluminescence from bright and dark excitons, negatively charged trions and neutral and negatively charged biexcitons, generated by a pulsed gate voltage, in hexagonal boron nitride encapsulated monolayer WSe2 and WS2 with graphene as electrode. By tailoring the pulse parameters we are able to tune the emission intensity of the different exciton species in both materials. We find the electroluminescence from charged biexcitons and dark excitons to be as narrow as 2.8 meV.

The research field of two dimensional (2D) materials strongly relies on optical microscopy characterization tools to identify atomically thin materials and to determine their number of layers. Moreover, optical microscopy-based techniques opened the door to study the optical properties of these nanomaterials. We presented a comprehensive study of the differential reflectance spectra of 2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2, with thickness ranging from one layer up to six layers. We analyzed the thickness-dependent energy of the different excitonic features, indicating the change in the band structure of the different TMDC materials with the number of layers. Our work provided a route to employ differential reflectance spectroscopy for determining the number of layers of MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2.

Recent research in two-dimensional (2D) materials has boosted a renovated interest in the p-n junction, one of the oldest electrical components which can be used in electronics and optoelectronics. 2D materials offer remarkable flexibility to design novel p-n junction device architectures, not possible with conventional bulk semiconductors. In this Review we thoroughly describe the different 2D p-n junction geometries studied so far, focusing on vertical (out-of-plane) and lateral (in-plane) 2D junctions and on mixed-dimensional junctions. We discuss the assembly methods developed to fabricate 2D p-n junctions making a distinction between top-down and bottom-up approaches. We also revise the literature studying the different applications of these atomically thin p-n junctions in electronic and optoelectronic devices. We discuss experiments on 2D p-n junctions used as current rectifiers, photodetectors, solar cells and light emitting devices. The important electronics and optoelectronics parameters of the discussed devices are listed in a table to facilitate their comparison. We conclude the Review with a critical discussion about the future outlook and challenges of this incipient research field.

We perform a detailed reliability study of MoS2, MoSe2, MoTe2 and WS2 field-effect transistors fabricated on the same SiO2/Si substrate. First we analyze the sensitivity of these devices to adsorbate-type trapping sites on top of the channel and show that their contribution can be minimized at high temperatures, which leads to a domination of charge trapping by oxide traps. Then we compare the high-temperature dynamics of the hysteresis and bias-temperature instabilities for different devices. Our results show that the observed differences can be partially explained by the alignment of known defect bands in SiO2 relative to the conduction and valence band edges of the two-dimensional channel materials. As such, our study provides strong fundamental insights into the reliability of these new technologies and opens further perspectives on how to reach commercial quality standards.

The high field transport characteristics of nanostructured transistors based on layered materials are not only important from a device physics perspective but also for possible applications in next generation electronics. With the growing promise of layered materials as replacements to conventional silicon technology, we study here the high current density properties of the layered material titanium trisulfide (TiS3). We observe high breakdown current densities up to 1.7 10^6 A/cm^2 in TiS3 nanoribbon-based field-effect transistors which are among the highest found in semiconducting nanomaterials. Investigating the mechanisms responsible for current breakdown, we perform a thermogravimetric analysis of bulk TiS3 and compare the results with density functional theory (DFT) and Kinetic Monte Carlo calculations. We conclude that oxidation of TiS3 and subsequent desorption of sulfur atoms plays an important role in the electrical breakdown of the material in ambient conditions. Our results show that TiS3 is an attractive material for high power applications and lend insight to the thermal and defect activated mechanisms responsible for electrical breakdown in nanostructured devices.

Optical spectroscopy techniques such as differential reflectance and transmittance have proven to be very powerful techniques for studying 2D materials. However, a thorough description of the experimental setups needed to carry out these measurements is lacking in the literature. We describe a versatile optical microscope setup for carrying out differential reflectance and transmittance spectroscopy in 2D materials with a lateral resolution of ~1 µm in the visible and near-infrared part of the spectrum. We demonstrate the potential of the presented setup to determine the number of layers of 2D materials and characterize their fundamental optical properties, such as excitonic resonances. We illustrate its performance by studying mechanically exfoliated and chemical vapor-deposited transition metal dichalcogenide samples.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials are particularly appealing for many applications. Although theory predicts a large number of 2D materials, experimentally only a few of these materials have been identified and characterized comprehensively in the ultrathin limit. Lead iodide, which belongs to the transition metal halides family and has a direct bandgap in the visible spectrum, has been known for a long time and has been well characterized in its bulk form. Nevertheless, studies of this material in the nanometer thickness regime are rather scarce. In this article we demonstrate an easy way to synthesize ultrathin, highly crystalline flakes of PbI2 by precipitation from a solution in water. We thoroughly characterize the produced thin flakes with different techniques ranging from optical and Raman spectroscopy to temperature-dependent photoluminescence and electron microscopy. We compare the results to ab initio calculations of the band structure of the material. Finally, we fabricate photodetectors based on PbI2 and study their optoelectronic properties.

The fabrication of van der Waals heterostructures, artificial materials assembled by individual stacking of 2D layers, is among the most promising directions in 2D materials research. Until now, the most widespread approach to stack 2D layers relies on deterministic placement methods, which are cumbersome and tend to suffer from poor control over the lattice orientations and the presence of unwanted interlayer adsorbates. Here, we present a different approach to fabricate ultrathin heterostructures by exfoliation of bulk franckeite which is a naturally occurring and air stable van der Waals heterostructure (composed of alternating SnS 2 -like and PbS-like layers stacked on top of each other). Presenting both an attractive narrow bandgap (<0.7 eV) and p-type doping, we find that the material can be exfoliated both mechanically and chemically down to few-layer thicknesses. We present extensive theoretical and experimental characterizations of the material’s electronic properties and crystal structure, and explore applications for near-infrared photodetectors.

p-n junctions based on vertically stacked single or few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted substantial scientific interest. Due to the propensity of TMDCs to show exclusively one type of conductivity, n- or p-type, heterojunctions of different materials are typically fabricated to produce diode-like current rectification and photovoltaic response. Recently, artificial, stable and substitutional doping of MoS2 into n- and p-type materials has been demonstrated. MoS2 is an interesting material for use in optoelectronic applications due to its potential of low-cost production in large quantities, strong light-matter interactions and chemical stability. Here we report the characterization of the optoelectronic properties of vertical homojunctions made by stacking few-layer flakes of MoS2: Fe (n-type) and MoS2: Nb (p-type). The junctions exhibit a peak external quantum efficiency of 4.7% and a maximum open circuit voltage of 0.51 V; they are stable in air; and their rectification characteristics and photovoltaic response are in excellent agreement with the Shockley diode model. The gate-tunability of the maximum output power, the ideality factor and the shunt resistance indicate that the dark current is dominated by trapassisted recombination and that the photocurrent collection depends strongly on the spatial extent of the space charge region. We demonstrate a response time faster than 80 ms and highlight the potential to integrate such devices into quasi-transparent and flexible optoelectronics.