Many Applications In Optoelectronics Research Articles

Enhanced stability of methylammonium lead bromide perovskite interlaced on cellulose nanofiber

The interest in highly luminescent organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite, methylammonium lead bromide (MLB) nanocrystals (NCs) has grown significantly due to their many applications in optoelectronics. However, the biggest hurdle has been the effective use of the materials in large optoelectronic applications and their poor stability in various environmental conditions. To address the problem of the poor stability of highly luminescent MLB nanostructures, we synthesized MLB NCs on the surface of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) for the first time. The synthesized (MLB@CNF) composite shows green emission peak at 529 nm. The scanning electron microscopy images confirm that perovskite NCs are well attached to the surface of cellulose nanofiber. These composite materials offer improved stability and luminescent features in moist environments for over six months. The developed interfacial interaction strategy will provide a novel approach to obtain durable nanocrystals using cellulose-based materials.

Defining the zerogap: cracking along the photolithographically defined Au–Cu–Au lines with sub-nanometer precision

Abstract Cracks are formed along the photolithographically pre-determined lines with extremely high yield and repeatability, when Cu clusters are introduced between planarized Au thin films sequentially deposited on a PET substrate. These clusters act as nanometer-sized spacers preventing the formation of contiguous metallic bond between the adjacent Au layers which will render prepatterned-cracking impossible. While the effective gap width is initially zero in the optical sense from microwaves all the way to the visible, outer-bending the PET substrate allows the gap width tuning into the 100 nm range, with the stability and controllability in the ranges of 100 s and Angstrom-scale, respectively. It is anticipated that our wafer-scale prepatterned crack technology with an unprecedented mixture of macroscopic length and Angstrom-scale controllability will open-up many applications in optoelectronics, quantum photonics and photocatalysis.

The impact of stacking and phonon environment on energy transfer in organic chromophores: computational insights

Energy transfer in organic materials is extensively studied due to many applications in optoelectronics.

Progress of GaN-Based Optoelectronic Devices Integrated with Optical Resonances.

Being direct wide bandgap, III-nitride (III-N) semiconductors have many applications in optoelectronics, including light-emitting diodes, lasers, detectors, photocatalysis, etc. Incorporation of III-N semiconductors with high-efficiency optical resonances including surface plasmons, distributed Bragg reflectors and micro cavities, has attracted considerable interests for upgrading their performance, which can not only reveal the new coupling mechanisms between optical resonances and quasiparticles, but also unveil the shield of novel optoelectronic devices with superior performances. In this review, the content covers the recent progress of GaN-based optoelectronic devices integrated with plasmonics and/or micro resonators, including the LEDs, photodetectors, solar cells, and light photocatalysis. The authors aim to provide an inspiring insight of recent remarkable progress and breakthroughs, as well as a promising prospect for the future highly-integrated, high speed, and efficient GaN-based optoelectronic devices.

Early Stages of Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide Growth on Silicon Nanowires.

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) is an electrically conductive and optically transparent material with many applications in optoelectronics and photovoltaics as well as in the new field of plasmonic metamaterials. Most of its applications contemplate the use of complex and nanosized materials as substrates onto which the AZO forms the coating layer. Its morphological characteristics, especially the conformality and crystallographic structure, are crucial because they affect its opto-electrical response. Nevertheless, it was difficult to find literature data on AZO layers deposited on non-planar structures. We studied the AZO growth on silicon-nanowires (SiNWs) to understand its morphological evolution when it is formed on quasi one-dimensional nanostructures. We deposited by sputtering different AZO thicknesses, leading from nanoclusters until complete incorporation of the SiNWs array was achieved. At the early stages, AZO formed crystalline nano-islands. These small clusters unexpectedly contained detectable Al, even in these preliminary phases, and showed a wurtzite crystallographic structure. At higher thickness, they coalesced by forming a conformal polycrystalline shell over the nanostructured substrate. As the deposition time increased, the AZO conformal deposition led to a polycrystalline matrix growing between the SiNWs, until the complete array incorporation and planarization. After the early stages, an interesting phenomenon took place leading to the formation of hook-curved SiNWs covered by AZO. These nanostructures are potentially very promising for optical, electro-optical and plasmonic applications.

Liquid-Metal-Assisted Deposition and Patterning of Molybdenum Dioxide at Low Temperature.

Molybdenum dioxide (MoO2), considering its near-metallic conductivity and surface plasmonic properties, is a great material for electronics, energy storage devices and biosensing. Yet to this day, room-temperature synthesis of large area MoO2, which allows deposition on arbitrary substrates, has remained a challenge. Due to their reactive interfaces and specific solubility conditions, gallium-based liquid metal alloys offer unique opportunities for synthesizing materials that can meet these challenges. Herein, a substrate-independent liquid metal-based method for the room temperature deposition and patterning of MoO2 is presented. By introducing a molybdate precursor to the surrounding of a eutectic gallium-indium alloy droplet, a uniform layer of hydrated molybdenum oxide (H2MoO3) is formed at the interface. This layer is then exfoliated and transferred onto a desired substrate. Utilizing the transferred H2MoO3 layer, a laser-writing technique is developed which selectively transforms this H2MoO3 into crystalline MoO2 and produces electrically conductive MoO2 patterns at room temperature. The electrical conductivity and plasmonic properties of the MoO2 are analyzed and demonstrated. The presented metal oxide room-temperature deposition and patterning method can find many applications in optoelectronics, sensing, and energy industries.

Van der Waals Layered Mineral Getchellite with Anisotropic Linear and Nonlinear Optical Responses

AbstractUltrathin ternary 2D materials have recently gained significant attention in the context of tailoring physical properties of materials via stoichiometric variation, which are crucial to many applications in optoelectronics, thermoelectrics, and nanophotonics. Herein, sulfide mineral getchellite is identified as a new type of ternary layered material and large‐area getchellite thin flakes are prepared through mechanical exfoliation. The highly anisotropic linear and nonlinear optical responses of getchellite thin flakes facilitated by the reduced in‐plane crystal symmetry are reported, including anisotropic Raman scattering, wavelength‐dependent linear dichroism transition, and anisotropic third‐harmonic generation (THG). Furthermore, the third‐order nonlinear susceptibility for getchellite crystal is retrieved from the thickness‐dependent THG emission. The demonstrated strong anisotropic linear and nonlinear optical properties of van der Waals layered getchellite will have implications for future technological innovations in photodetectors, optical sensors, nonlinear optical signal processors, and other on‐chip photonic device prototypes.

Deep, vertical etching for GaAs using inductively coupled plasma/reactive ion etching

Deep etched structures in GaAs have many applications in optoelectronics and MEMS devices. These applications often require an anisotropic etch profile with smooth sidewalls as well as a high etch rate and high aspect ratio. Developing an etch process that demonstrates high selectivity for the etch mask is critical as etch times for deep grooves can be protracted due to the effect of RIE lag. In this work, the authors describe etching deep, vertical grooves in GaAs using Inductively Coupled Plasma/Reactive Ion Etching. The effects of RF power, pressure, and gas composition on mask selectivity, etch rate, and anisotropy are discussed. Using a SiO2 etch mask and Cl2 as the main etchant gas, grooves with a vertical sidewall and depths of >120 μm (aspect ratio of 9) have been achieved.

(Invited) Metal Halide Perovskites at the Nanoscale: High Quality Optoelectronic Materials with Unique Phase Properties

The newly rediscovered perovskite semiconductor system has the potential to be extremely transformative for all optoelectronic devices, especially photovoltaics (PVs). Perovskite semiconductors of the form APbI3 where A is a large +1 charged cation, typically Cs, methylammonium, or formamidinium have had a huge resurgence among materials scientists for outstanding PV properties despite being overlooked for decades. Semiconductors containing the latter two A-site cations listed are hybrid organic-inorganic materials, and as such, are far less understood compared to conventional all inorganic or even organic material systems. Regardless of this spotty formal understanding, lead-halide perovskites have very rapidly been optimized to power conversion efficiency levels on par with all other materials even with extensive history of research. Perovskites show a unique tolerance to crystalline defects that cause trouble in most other semiconductors. Therefore the potential offered is that very high efficiency PVs can be fabricated in extremely fast and inexpensive ways, thus offering a revolution for the solar industry and a direct route toward producing the world’s energy with a simple and clean technology. Long-term durability of the devices is the critical remaining challenge to be solved.1 Two examples of major instabilities in device performance are the volatility of the organic cation and the specific crystal habit in which the material embodies. Nanoscale versions (often termed quantum dots (QDs)) of the all-inorganic metal halide perovskite (CsPbI3) tend to retain the desired perovskite phase due to strain effects at the surface of the QDs whereas conventional films of the same material “relax” to an orthorhombic non-perovskite structure at room temperature. Therefore these QDs potentially solve both of the instability issues. The cubic CsPbI3 QD cells operate with a rather remarkable open-circuit voltage of >1.2 volts and have produced power conversion efficiencies over 13%.2,3 This customizable new nanomaterial system has incredible potential for many applications in optoelectronics, including photovoltaics, LEDs, displays and lasers. We describe the formation of perovskite phase-CsPbI3 QD films with long range electronic transport that retain the high temperature phase in ambient conditions making up the active layer in optoelectronic devices. Perspectives on how this technology can become transformative will be discussed. References A. Christians, P. Schulz, J.S. Tinkham, T.H. Schloemer, S.P. Harvey, B.J .Tremolet de Villers, A. Sellinger, J.J. Berry, J.M. Luther, Nature Energy, 2018, 3 (1), 68.Swarnkar, A.R. Marshall, E.M. Sanehira, B.D. Chernomordik, D.T. Moore, J.A. Christians, T. Chakrabarti, J.M. Luther, Science, 2016, 354 (6308), 92-95.M. Sanehira, A.R. Marshall, J.A. Christians, S.P. Harvey, P.N. Ciesielski, L.M. Wheeler, P. Schulz, L.Y. Lin, M.C. Beard, J.M. Luther, Science Advances, 2017, 3 (10), eaao4204.

Anodic Deposition of Enantiopure Hexahelicene Layers

AbstractHelicenes are polyaromatic compounds with chiral properties useful for many applications in optoelectronics, separation processes, chiral recognition and catalysis. Here we focused on the electrochemistry of carbo[n]helicenes (n=5,6,7). The cyclic voltammograms of racemic mixtures of target compounds in acetonitrile/0.1 M tetrabutylammonium perchlorate at a glassy carbon electrode reveal the diffusion‐controlled reactions in both anodic and cathodic potential regions. Electrochemical behaviors are different for individual helicenes, [7]helicene undergoes redox transformation easily in comparison to the other investigated compounds, which is in agreement with DFT (density functional theory) calculations. Generally, the multi‐component anodic process of helicenes is observable at potentials from +1.5 to +2.5 V, leading to the formation of deposited structures (layers) on the electrode surface. The helicenes were electrodeposited onto transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes and characterized by atomic force microscopy, UV/Vis, Raman spectroscopy and ellipsometry. Finally, the anodic deposition of P and M enantiomers of [6]helicene was performed using ITO substrates, resulting in the formation of enantiopure layers of nanometer thicknesses, as confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The discovered electrosynthetic procedure opens up a new possibility for the immobilization of chiral helicene layers onto solid supports.

Synthesis of dense TiO2 nanoparticle multilayers using spin coating technique

A stack of nine layers is prepared by sequential spun casting of commercially available colloidal TiO2 nanoparticles of average size of 10–15 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is employed to investigate the surface morphology of the multilayers. SEM micrographs exhibit formation of highly uniform and dense TiO2 nanoparticle layers. The uniformity and density is found to be increasing with layer thickness. Structural characterization is carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. XRD spectra indicate improvement in crystalline quality of all the layers with increasing layer thickness. All the layers are having mainly the anatase phase of TiO2. Optical characterization is carried out by UV–visible spectroscopy. The value of bandgap estimated on the basis of absorption coefficient is found to be 3.26 eV and approximately remains the same for the layers. The electrical characterization suggests that multilayer resistivity increases with increasing layer thickness. The good quality spin coated thin dense TiO2 layers have many applications in optoelectronics.

Graphene integration with nitride semiconductors for high power and high frequency electronics

Group III nitride semiconductors (III-N), including GaN, AlN, InN, and their alloys, are currently the materials of choice for many applications in optoelectronics (light-emitting diodes, laser diodes), and high-power and high-frequency transistors. Due to its attractive electrical, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties, graphene (Gr) integration with III-N technology has been considered in the last few years, in order to address some of the major issues which still limit the performances of GaN-based devices. To date, most of the studies have been focused on the use of Gr as transparent conductive electrode (TCE) to improve current spreading from top electrodes and light extraction in GaN-LEDs. This paper will review recent works evaluating the benefits of Gr integration with III-N for high power and high frequency electronics. From the materials side, recent progresses in the growth of high quality GaN layers on Gr templates and in the deposition of Gr on III-N substrates and templates will be presented. From the applications side, strategies to use Gr for thermal management in high-power AlGaN/GaN transistors will be discussed. Finally, recent proposals of implementing new ultra-high-frequency (THz) transistors, such as the Gr base hot electron transistor (GBHET), by Gr integration with III-N will be highlighted.

Simple models for InGaN alloys

AbstractThe properties of InGaN alloys are important for many applications in optoelectronics, since their fundamental gap spans the visible range. Calculating properties, particularly for InN, is theoretically challenging, especially to obtain accurate values for the band gap. We have developed a semi‐empirical parametrisation of (In,Ga) N using the density functional based tight binding method (DFTB), where the band gaps of InN and GaN have been empirically corrected to experiment. We demonstrate the performance of this method by calculating a range of properties for the two materials, including elastic constants and carrier effective masses. There are several methods to model alloys of these material, one of the simplest being the virtual crystal approximation, which we apply to derive electronic properties over the whole composition range for InGaN.

Pt coldfinger improves quality of Bridgman-grown Cd 0.9Zn 0.1Te:Bi crystals

Cadmium zinc telluride (Cd 1− x Zn x Te) crystals have many applications in optoelectronics and as room-temperature detectors. We grew bismuth-doped CZT crystals by the standard Bridgman Oscillation Method, and compared them with such crystals grown in the thermal environment of a furnace modified with a Pt coldfinger (metal rod). The coldfinger serves as a tool for stabilizing the solid–liquid interface by extracting heat from the as-grown crystal, and thereby improving the ingot's crystalline quality. We detailed the crystal's quality via high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Synchrotron-based X-ray microfluorescence (μSXRF) images, as well as by etch-pit density (EPD) measurements. Our results demonstrated that the Pt coldfinger is an effective tool for improving the quality of CZT bulk material.

Carbon-nanotube photonics and optoelectronics

Carbon nanotubes possess unique properties that make them potentially useful in many applications in optoelectronics. This review describes the fundamental optical behaviour of carbon nanotubes as well as their opportunities for light generation and detection, and photovoltaic energy generation.

Measured electron IMFPs for SiC

AbstractSilicon carbide (SiC) is a wideband semiconductor that is very promising for many applications in optoelectronics and microelectronics. Since information on the electron transport processes in SiC is scarce, its systematic study is highly desirable. The aim of this work is to determine experimentally by elastic peak electron spectroscopy (EPES), for the first time, the inelastic mean free paths (IMFPs) in bulk SiC with different structural properties (polycrystalline and monocrystalline materials) and surface concentrations of its constituents. The relative EPES measurements were carried out in the electron energy range 0.2–2.0 keV with two different analyzers (double‐pass cylindrical mirror analyzer (DCMA), spherical sector analyzer (SSA)) and the use of Ni standard. The measured IMFPs were uncorrected for surface excitations and compared with those calculated from the TPP‐2M and G‐1 predictive formulae using Fano plots. Good agreement was found between the measured and the calculated electron IMFPs in SiC exhibiting different structural properties. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Structural approach of CsCl-modified Ga2S3-La2S3 glasses.

Gallium-lanthanum sulfide glasses have specific interesting physical properties, as semiconductor behavior and good transmission at long wavelengths. The addition of CsCl increases the thermal stability region of the glass making it suitable for many applications in optoelectronics. Ga2S3-La2S3 glasses modified by 10 to 40% CsCl have been studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, at the chlorine K edge and at the gallium K edge at 9 K, in order to get information about the actual structural role of CsCl. The chlorine environment is similar to that in CsCl. The gallium coordination sulfur polyhedra are weakly distorted tetrahedra. identical for all samples. The low temperature measurements shown that the polyhedral corner linkage is also unaltered by the addition of CsCl.

Hydrodynamical Modeling of Charge Carrier Transport in Semiconductors

Enhanced functional integration in modern electron devices requires an accurate modeling of energy transport in semiconductors in order to describe high-field phenomena such as hot electron propagation, impact ionization and heat generation in the bulk material. The standard drift-diffusion models cannot cope with high-field phenomena because they do not comprise energy as a dynamical variable. Furthermore for many applications in optoelectronics one needs to describe the transient interaction of electromagnetic radiation with carriers in complex semiconductor materials and since the characteristic times are of order of the electron momentum or energy flux relaxation times, some higher moments of the distribution function must be necessarily involved. Therefore these phenomena cannot be described within the framework of the drift-diffusion equations (which are valid only in the quasi-stationary limit). Therefore generalizations of the drift-diffusion equations have been sought which would incorporate energy as a dynamical variable and also would not be restricted to quasi-stationary situations. These models are loosely speaking called hydrodynamical models. One of the earliest hydrodynamical models currently used in applications was originally put forward by Blotekjaer [1] and subsequently investigated by Baccarani and Wordeman [2] and by other authors [3]. Eventually other models have also been investigated, some including also non-parabolic effects [4–6, 8–20]. Most of the implemented hydrodynamical models suffer from serious theoretical drawbacks due to the ad hoc treatment of the closure problem (lacking a physically convincing motivation) and the modeling of the production terms (usually assumed to be of the relaxation type and this, as we shall see, leads to serious inconsistencies with the Onsager reciprocity relations). In these lectures we present a general overview of the theory underlying hydrodynamical models. In particular we investigate in depth both the closure problem and the modeling of the production terms and present a recently introduced approach based on the maximum entropy principle (physically set in the framework of extended thermodynamics [21, 22]). The considerations and the results reported in the paper are exclusively concerned with silicon.

Spectral index method applied to two nonidentical closely separated rib waveguides

The asymmetric rib waveguide directional coupler has previously been considered a complex structure to analyse, because the symmetry relied on by large-scale numerical techniques has been destroyed. Asymmetric couplers, however, have many applications in optoelectronics and are thus important structures to model. Here, the recently developed spectral index method is successfully applied to the asymmetric coupler. The propagation constants corresponding to the two polarised lowest-order supermodes of the entire structure are determined numerically from a transcendental equation.