Semiconductor Substrate Research Articles

Direct In- and Out-of-Plane Writing of Metals on Insulators by Electron-Beam-Enabled, Confined Electrodeposition with Submicrometer Feature Size.

Additive microfabrication processes based on localized electroplating enable the one-step deposition of micro-scale metal structures with outstanding performance, e.g., high electrical conductivity and mechanical strength. They are therefore evaluated as an exciting and enabling addition to the existing repertoire of microfabrication technologies. Yet, electrochemical processes are generally restricted to conductive or semiconductive substrates, precluding their application in the manufacturing of functional electric devices where direct deposition onto insulators is often required. Here, the direct, localized electrodeposition of copper on a variety of insulating substrates, namely Al2O3, glass and flexible polyethylene, is demonstrated, enabled by electron-beam-induced reduction in a highly confined liquid electrolyte reservoir. The nanometer-size of the electrolyte reservoir, fed by electrohydrodynamic ejection, enables a minimal feature size on the order of 200nm. The fact that the transient reservoir is established and stabilized by electrohydrodynamic ejection rather than specialized liquid cells can offer greater flexibility toward deposition on arbitrary substrate geometries and materials. Installed in a low-vacuum scanning electron microscope, the setup further allows for operando, nanoscale observation and analysis of the manufacturingprocess.

Plasmon resonance dynamics and enhancement effects in tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) gold nanosphere oligomers.

Ruthenium-based metal complexes are one of the most widely studied dyes because of their rich photochemistry and light-harvesting properties. Significant attention has been paid to the energy and charge transfer dynamics of these dyes on semiconductor substrates. However, studies on photophysical and photochemical properties of these dyes in plasmonic environments are rare. In this study, we report a plasmon-mediated resonance energy transfer in an optimized oligomer system that enhances the photoexcited population of the well known dye, tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II), [Ru(BPY)3]2+ adsorbed on gold nanosphere surfaces with a defluorescenced Raman signal. Structural and chemical information is collected using a range of techniques that include in situ time-resolved UV/VIS, DLS, SERS, and TA. The findings have great potential to impact nanoscience broadly with special emphasis on surface photocatalysis, redox chemistry, and solar energy harvesting.

Lead overlayer dynamics on Ni(111).

Ultrathin lead films on metallic and semiconductor substrates are technologically demanded and actively studied by different experimental and theoretical methods. The formation of these films gives rise to new adsorbate-induced electron states and vibrational modes. The dynamical properties of atoms on surfaces depend sensitively on their bonding environment and thus provide valuable insight into the local geometry and chemical bonding at the boundary of a solid. In this paper, the vibrational properties of the , (3 × 3) and (4 × 4) overlayers formed by the adsorption of 1/3, 4/9, and 9/16 Pb ML, respectively, on the Ni(111) surface were studied for the first time. The surface relaxations, phonon modes and the local density of states were analyzed. We revealed the role of substrate dynamics in the stability of the Pb/Ni(111) system at submonolayer Pb adsorption.

Structure-regulated enhanced Raman scattering on a semiconductor to study temperature-influenced enantioselective identification.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy is an effective technique that can reveal molecular structure and molecular interaction details. Semiconductor-based SERS platforms exhibit multifaceted tunability and unique selectivity to target molecules as well as high spectral reproducibility. However, the detection sensitivity of semiconductors is impeded by inferior SERS enhancement. Herein, a surface and interference co-enhanced Raman scattering (SICERS) platform based on corrugated TiO2 nanotube arrays (c-TiO2 NTs) was developed, and the coupling of structural regulation and photo-induced charge transfer (PICT) effectively optimized the SERS performance of the semiconductor substrate. Due to the regularly oscillating optical properties of the c-TiO2 NTs, well-defined interference patterns were generated and the local electric field was significantly increased, which greatly promoted both the electromagnetic mechanism and PICT processes. The c-TiO2 NTs were subsequently applied as a highly sensitive SICERS substrate to investigate the mechanism of temperature influence on enantioselective identification. This identification process is related to the existence of temperature-sensitive hydrogen bonds and π-π interaction. This work demonstrates a simply prepared, low-cost, and sensitive SERS substrate that enables better investigation into molecular identification.

(Keynote) Single Atom Co-Catalysts in Photocatalytic H2 Generation

Photocatalytic H2 generation has been a highly investigated topic ever since Fujishima und Honda (1972) reported on the use of TiO2 as a solar-illuminated semiconductor for the splitting of water into H2 and O2. Generally, in a fully photocatalytic setting (when photogenerated electron and hole are transferred from a solution-suspended TiO2 nanoparticle to an aqueous electrolyte), a reasonable electron transfer rate can only be established when a noble metal co-catalyst is attached to the TiO2. Mostly this is a Pt nanoparticle that is deposited onto the TiO2 by various reductive treatments. Over the years numerous efforts have been devoted to the shrinkage of the particle to enhance the usage of the noble metal. Evidently the most extreme case shrinkage is the use of an insulated single atom of Pt. The use of such isolated atoms as a co-catalyst in photocatalysis has in recent years attracted strong interest, not only because the single atom state represents a maximized surface to volume efficiency, but also because single atom reactivity allows for unprecedented reaction pathways. In the presentation we discuss the use of Pt dispersed and anchored as single atoms on TiO2 nanocrystallites, powders and nanotubes as a co-catalyst in photocatalytic H2 generation. We discuss various trapping and stabilization approaches of SAs on photocatalysts and report on a SA-Pt photocatalyst with a higher photocatalytic activity than observed for classic arrangements of co-catalyst on the semiconductive substrate. Moreover, we show that a small fraction of the totally deposited Pt that is stably trapped SAs provides virtually all photocatalytic reactivity of a Pt decorated catalyst. References 1) C. Gao, J. Low, R. Long, T. Kong, J. Zhu and Y. Xiong, Chem. Rev., 2020, 120, 12175-12216.2) N. Denisov, S. Qin, J. Will,, T. Yokosawa, .. and P. Schmuki, Adv. Mater., 2022, n/a, 2206569.3) S. Hejazi, ..O. Tomanec, S. Kment, and P. Schmuki, Adv. Mater., 2020, 32, 1908505.4) S. Qin, N. Denisov, J. Will, ..E. Spiecker and P. Schmuki, Solar RRL, 2022, 6, 2101026.5) S. Qin, J. Will, H. Kim, N. Denisov, S. Carl, E. Spiecker and P. Schmuki, ACS Energy Lett., 2023, DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.2c02801, 1209-1214.6) I. Hwang, A. Mazare, ..and P. Schmuki, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2022, n/a, 2207849.

Polariton design and modulation via van der Waals/doped semiconductor heterostructures

Hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs) can be supported in materials where the real parts of their permittivities along different directions are opposite in sign. HPhPs offer confinements of long-wavelength light to deeply subdiffractional scales, while the evanescent field allows for interactions with substrates, enabling the tuning of HPhPs by altering the underlying materials. Yet, conventionally used noble metal and dielectric substrates restrict the tunability of this approach. To overcome this challenge, here we show that doped semiconductor substrates, e.g., InAs and CdO, enable a significant tuning effect and dynamic modulations. We elucidated HPhP tuning with the InAs plasma frequency in the near-field, with a maximum difference of 8.3 times. Moreover, the system can be dynamically modulated by photo-injecting carriers into the InAs substrate, leading to a wavevector change of ~20%. Overall, the demonstrated hBN/doped semiconductor platform offers significant improvements towards manipulating HPhPs, and potential for engineered and modulated polaritonic systems.

Sputtered Stainless Steel on Silicon Photoanode for Stable Seawater Splitting in Photoelectrochemical Flow Cell

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) seawater splitting is a promising method for the direct utilization of solar energy and abundant seawater resources for hydrogen production. Photoelectrodes are susceptible to various ions in seawater and complicated competitive reactions, resulting in the failure of photoelectrodes. This paper proposes the design and fabrication of different sputtered stainless steel (SS) films deposited on silicon photoanodes, completely isolating the electrolytes and semiconductor substrate. Upon coupling with the PEC flow cell, the back-illuminated photoanode coated with 316 SS cocatalyst achieves stable operation for 70 h in natural seawater with a highly alkaline KOH (30 wt.%, 7.64 mol/L) electrolyte due to the remarkable protection effect of the substrate from stainless steel, while the PEC seawater splitting system achieves a record hydrogen production rate of 600 μmol/(h·cm2). An appropriate Ni/Fe ratio in the SS ensures remarkable oxygen evolution activity, while chromic oxide ensures the effective anticorrosion effect by adjusting the microenvironment of the photoanodes. Moreover, fabricating PEC flow cells with photoanodes coated with SS cocatalysts are a viable strategy for PEC seawater splitting.

Origin of Giant Rashba Effect in Graphene on Pt/SiC

Intercalation of noble metals can produce giant Rashba-type spin–orbit splittings in graphene. The spin–orbit splitting of more than 100 meV has yet to be achieved in graphene on metal or semiconductor substrates. Here, we report the p-type graphene obtained by Pt intercalation of zero-layer graphene on SiC substrate. The spin splitting of ∼200 meV was observed at a wide range of binding energies. Comparing the results of theoretical studies of different models with the experimental ones measured by spin-ARPES, XPS and STM methods, we concluded that inducing giant spin–orbit splitting requires not only a relatively close distance between graphene and Pt layer but also the presence of graphene corrugation caused by a non-flat Pt layer. This makes it possible to find a compromise between strong hybridization and increased spin–orbit interaction. In our case, the Pt submonolayer possesses nanometer-scale lateral ordering under graphene.

Nanophotonic broadband infrared antireflection coatings based on dielectric Si3N4 nano-pillar arrays

Dielectric Si3N4 nano-pillar arrays (NPA) are designed for the broad infrared waveband antireflection applications. The Wood-Rayleigh anomaly diffraction and Mie-type scattering (M − S) resonance characteristics of the NPA nanophotonic structures are analyzed, which show the excellent optical performances. M − S resonance can be broadened by high-index semiconductor substrate and the interactions between nanopillars, which resulting the expected ultra-low light reflection at the broad infrared waveband. The orderly and uniformly large area Si3N4 NPAs are successfully fabricated by low-cost nanosphere lithography, and the measured infrared light reflection spectrums are fit well with the theoretical results. For the GaSb TPV cell with the emitter temperature of 1200 °C, the ultralow flux-spectrum-weighted reflection of ∼1.72 % is obtained with the fabricated Si3N4 NPA, which demonstrate great potential for infrared optoelectronic applications.

Plasmonic Modification of Epitaxial Nanostructures for the Development of a Highly Efficient SERS Platform

Epitaxy is the process of crystallization of monocrystalline layers and nanostructures on a crystalline substrate. It allows for the crystallization of various semiconductor layers on a finite quantity of semiconductor substrates, like GaAs, InP, GaP, InGaP, GaP, and many others. The growth of epitaxial heterostructures is very complicated and requires special conditions and the precise control of the growth temperature, the pressure in the reactor, and the flow of the precursors. It is used to grow epitaxial structures in lasers, diodes, detectors, photovoltaic structures, and so on. Semiconductors themselves are not suitable materials for application in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) due to poor plasmonic properties in the UV/VIS range caused by missing free electrons in the conduction band due to the existing band gap. A plasmonic material is added on top of the nanostructured pattern, allowing for the formation of mixed photon–plasmon modes called localized surface plasmon-polaritons which stand behind the SERS effect. Typically, gold and silver are used as functional plasmonic layers. Such materials could be deposited via chemical or physical process. Attention has also been devoted to other plasmonic materials, like ones based on the nitrides of metals. The SERS performance of a functional surface depends both on the response of the plasmonic material and the morphology of the underlying semiconductor epitaxial layer. In the context of SERS, epitaxial growth allows for the fabrication of substrates with well-defined 3D nanostructures and enhanced electromagnetic properties. In this work, we described the possible potential plasmonic modification, composed of various coatings such as noble metals, TiN, and others, of well-developed epitaxial nanostructures for the construction of a new type of highly active SERS platforms. This abstract also highlights the role of epitaxial growth in advancing SERS, focusing on its principles, methods, and impact. Furthermore, this work outlines the potential of epitaxial growth to push the boundaries of SERS. The ability to design substrates with tailored plasmonic properties opens avenues for ultralow concentration detection.

Thermal Scanning-Probe Lithography for Broad-Band On-Demand Plasmonic Nanostructures on Transparent Substrates.

Thermal scanning-probe lithography (t-SPL) is a high-resolution nanolithography technique that enables the nanopatterning of thermosensitive materials by means of a heated silicon tip. It does not require alignment markers and gives the possibility to assess the morphology of the sample in a noninvasive way before, during, and after the patterning. In order to exploit t-SPL at its peak performances, the writing process requires applying an electric bias between the scanning hot tip and the sample, thereby restricting its application to conductive, optically opaque, substrates. In this work, we show a t-SPL-based method, enabling the noninvasive high-resolution nanolithography of photonic nanostructures onto optically transparent substrates across a broad-band visible and near-infrared spectral range. This was possible by intercalating an ultrathin transparent conductive oxide film between the dielectric substrate and the sacrificial patterning layer. This way, nanolithography performances comparable with those typically observed on conventional semiconductor substrates are achieved without significant changes of the optical response of the final sample. We validated this innovative nanolithography approach by engineering periodic arrays of plasmonic nanoantennas and showing the capability to tune their plasmonic response over a broad-band visible and near-infrared spectral range. The optical properties of the obtained systems make them promising candidates for the fabrication of hybrid plasmonic metasurfaces supported onto fragile low-dimensional materials, thus enabling a variety of applications in nanophotonics, sensing, and thermoplasmonics.

Surfaces with Lowered Electron Work Function: Problems of Their Creation and Theoretical Description. A Review

Experimental studies devoted to the creation of the modern photocathodes or efficient field emission cathodes with lowered work function or low/negative electron affinity are reviewed. We present theoretical models, where the electron affinity lowering is associated with the influence of electrically charged layers at the semiconductor/insulator interface. Modern experimental techniques of measuring the work function or the electron affinity and technologies aimed at fabricating the surfaces with low work function/electron affinity are described. In the framework of a simple theoretical model developed by the authors, it has been demonstrated that the presence of a dipole layer (e.g., composed of negatively charged oxygen ions and positively charged rare earth ions) at the semiconductor surface can lower the electron affinity by up to 3 eV provided equal concentrations of oppositely charged adsorbate ions. It is also shown that if the surface concentration of negatively charged oxygen ions is higher than the surface concentration of positively charged metal ions, the lowering of the electron affinity becomes smaller due to the upward band bending in the space charge region in the semiconductor; otherwise, the lowering of the electron affinity becomes larger due to the downward band bending. This effect allows technological proposals to be formulated for obtaining surfaces with minimum work function values in modern field-emission-based electronic devices. In the framework of the proposed model, the work function was evaluated for the OH-functionalized MXene. The corresponding value for the unfunctionalized MXene equals about 4.5 eV, being practically independent of the number of Ti and C layers (from 1 to 9 layers). The OH-functionalization lowers it down to about 1.6 eV, and this value is also practically independent of the number of atomic layers in MXene. Experimental approaches to obtain cathodes with low work function/low electron affinity are described. They are aimed at creating a spatial separation of electric charges in the near-surface cathode region perpendicularly to the surface plane. The corresponding spatial distributions of positive and negative charges are characterized by their localization either in two different atomic planes or in one plane and an extended space region (the latter variant is typical of semiconductor substrates). The technologies for producing such surfaces are based on various methods of adsorbate deposition onto the metal or semiconductor substrate: physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, liquid phase deposition, diffusion from the substrate bulk, and so forth. Particular attention is paid to the experimental works dealing with the adsorbtion of rare earth metals (Ce, Gd, Eu) and the coadsorbtion of oxygen onto the Si, Ge, and Mo surfaces (in a nano-structured state as well), which results in the dipole layer formation and the work function reduction.

An innovative detection technique for capillary electrophoresis: Localized terahertz emission-time domain spectroscopy

Terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) is a recently emerging analysis method which can provide unique information on molecular vibration and rotation induced by inter/intra-molecular interactions. Although the application of THz-TDS to high-performance microscale separation methods like capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been anticipated, it has been hindered due to the diffraction limit of THz wave (typically, hundreds µm). In order to realize CE-THz-TDS, in this study, we placed a narrow open-tubular capillary on the surface of a GaAs semiconductor substrate as a “localized” THz-emitter. By focusing femtosecond pulsed laser beams at the surface of a gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate closest to the capillary, THz waves were locally generated to pass through the capillary, so that THz absorbance spectra were obtained from the capillary which has narrower inner diameter than the diffraction limit. As a typical result from acetic acid analysis in the CE-THz-TDS platform, information on the refractive index and extinction coefficient was obtained, which showed non-linear and linear concentration dependence, respectively, similar to conventional THz-TDS using large liquid cells. Finally, CE-THz-TDS analysis of several carboxylic acids was demonstrated. Two acids were successfully separated and detected with THz-TDS, where their electrophoretic mobility values were estimated as close to those obtained with conventional contactless conductivity detection. Our proposed CE-THz-TDS showed the potential for the systematic analysis of inter/intra-molecular weak interactions like hydrogen bonds, which are unable to obtain with conventional detectors.

Robust SrTiO3 Passivation of Silicon Photocathode by Reduced Graphene Oxide for Solar Water Splitting.

Development of a robust photocathode using low-cost and high-performing materials, e.g., p-Si, to produce clean fuel hydrogen has remained challenging since the semiconductor substrate is easily susceptible to (photo)corrosion under photoelectrochemical (PEC) operational conditions. A protective layer over the substrate to simultaneously provide corrosion resistance and maintain efficient charge transfer across the device is therefore needed. To this end, in the present work, we utilized pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to prepare a high-quality SrTiO3 (STO) layer to passivate the p-Si substrate using a buffer layer of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Specifically, a very thin (3.9 nm ∼10 unit cells) STO layer epitaxially overgrown on rGO-buffered Si showed the highest onset potential (0.326 V vs RHE) in comparison to the counterparts with thicker and/or nonepitaxial STO. The photovoltage, flat-band potential, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements revealed that the epitaxial photocathode was more beneficial for charge separation, charge transfer, and targeted redox reaction than the nonepitaxial one. The STO/rGO/Si with a smooth and highly epitaxial STO layer outperforming the directly contacted STO/Si with a textured and polycrystalline STO layer showed the importance of having a well-defined passivation layer. In addition, the numerous pinholes formed in the directly contacted STO/Si led to the rapid degradation of the photocathode during the PEC measurements. The stability tests demonstrated the soundness of the epitaxial STO layer in passivating Si against corrosion. This study provided a facile approach for preparing a robust protection layer over a photoelectrode substrate in realizing an efficient and, at the same time, durable PEC device.

Metal–semiconductor–metal detectors ZnS/GaP for the ultraviolet and visible part of the spectrum with electrically tunable spectral photosensitivity

High-quality ZnS epitaxial layers grown on GaP semiconductor substrates by MOCVD method. Photodetectors of the visible and UV parts of the spectrum based on new interdigitated Schottky barrier metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) contacts to semiconductor structure ZnS/GaP. The detectors exhibit low dark current values. The dependence of the characteristics of the spectral response of detectors on voltage has been established offsets. It was found that the long-wavelength response boundary of ZnS/GaP MSM detectors can shift from 355 to 450 nm when the bias voltage changes from 10 to 30 V. At the maximum photosensitivity wavelength of 450 nm, the ampere-watt sensitivity of the detector was 0.3 A/W at a bias voltage of 60 V, and the quantum efficiency was 82%.

(Invited, Digital Presentation) Low-Temperature Direct Bonding of Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Substrates

Low-temperature direct bonding technique of semiconductor substrates has been developed to integrate dissimilar materials (e.g. Si, Ge, III-V) regardless of lattice and thermal expansion mismatches. Among the direct bonding techniques, a hydrophilic bonding method, which initiates a dehydration reaction between OH-terminated substrates, is commonly used because wafer-scale bonding can be fabricated under atmospheric conditions. Recently, our research group achieved direct bonding of wide-gap materials, including SiC, GaN, β-Ga2O3, and diamond substrates, by using this bonding method.The hydrophilic bonding of Si wafers has been practically applied for the fabrication of silicon-on-insulator substrates. In the bonding process, the Si substrates are typically irradiated with reactive ion etching using oxygen plasma, which efficiently generates OH groups on the surface. By contacting the substrates under atmospheric conditions, the activated surfaces can adhere to each other by hydrogen bonds across the OH groups. The annealing at ~200 °C causes the dehydration reaction and forms atomic bonds between the substrates, as shown in the following equation.Si-OH + HO-Si → Si-O-Si +H2OThe bonding process generates a sub-10-nm-thick SiOx layer at the bonding interface, which limits thermal and electrical conductance between the bonding substrates.Our research group demonstrated that the diamond substrates can be bonded with other semiconductor substrates (e.g. Si, InP, β-Ga2O3) by the hydrophilic bonding method. The pre-bonding treatment using oxygen plasma is not suitable for the diamond surface because it is easily etched by the strong oxidizing treatment. Meanwhile, the mild oxidizing treatment using H2SO4/H2O2 (i.e. piranha solution) and NH3/H2O2 (i.e. SC1) mixtures enables OH termination of the diamond substrate without a significant increase in the surface roughness. Figure A shows the photograph of the diamond substrate bonded on the Si substrate. At the Si/diamond and InP/diamond bonding interfaces, ~3-nm-thick SiOx and InPOx layers were observed by an electron microscope, respectively, as displayed in Figure B. These oxide layers were formed by the oxidizing treatment at the pre-bonding step.However, when β-Ga2O3 and diamond substrates were bonded, such an oxide intermediate layer was not observed at the bonding interface. This is because diamond never develops the oxide layer and β-Ga2O3 is an oxide material. As shown in Figure C, we achieved the direct bonding of monocrystalline β-Ga2O3 and diamond substrates with an amorphous intermediate layer thinner than 1 nm. As the intermediate layer was atomically thin, efficient electrical and thermal conductance across β-Ga2O3/diamond substrates was possible, as plotted in Figure D.Qiushi Kang et al. demonstrated that the hydrophilic bonding of the SiC substrate is possible by using oxygen plasma. This treatment develops the ~4-nm-thick SiOx layer on the SiC substrate, which possibly became a thermal and electrical barrier at the bonding interface. However, our research group revealed that the SiC substrate dipped into HF acid can form direct bonding with an atomically thin intermediate layer. It is known that the SiC surface is OH terminated after the removal of the native oxide layer by HF acid, unlike the Si substrate. We revealed that the HF-dipped SiC substrate can form direct bonding with the O2-plasma-activated β-Ga2O3 substrate through an intermediate layer as thin as 1 nm. as displayed in Figure E.About the GaN substrate, we have demonstrated that hydrophilic bonding with the Si substrate is possible using oxygen and nitrogen plasma activations. In addition, the GaN substrate dipped into H2SO4/H2O2 and NH3/H2O2 mixtures can also form direct bonding. The thickness of the GaOx layer at the GaN/Si bonding interface was approximately 1 nm.We believe the low-temperature direct bonding technique will contribute to future wide-bandgap semiconductor devices because it is possible to achieve efficient electrical and thermal conduction across dissimilar materials. Figure 1

Effects of corrugated boundaries on Rayleigh waves in a piezoelectric semiconductor substrate covered with a metal layer

In the present work, analytical solutions for Rayleigh waves propagating in a metal covered layer over a piezoelectric semiconductor (PSC) substrate with corrugated surface and corrugated interface are obtained. The solutions of the various physical fields can be expressed as a summation of infinite harmonic waves by using the Bloch–Floquet theorem due to the existence of the periodic corrugated surface and corrugated interface. The effects of the height and contour shape of the corrugated surface and corrugated interface, the doping density of the PSC substrate and the thickness of the metal covered layer on the dispersion and attenuation curves and mode shapes of Rayleigh waves are discussed via numerical example. The results show that the existence of the corrugated surface will lead to the decrease of the phase velocity and non-monotonous change with wavenumber, besides, and significantly increases the attenuation near k0=π/Λ(k0 and Λ are the wavenumber and period, respectively). In addition, the effects of periodic corrugated surface are much greater than those of periodic corrugated interface and are closely related with the ratio of the wavelength to the structure period. Moreover, the sinusoidal corrugated surface can be used to better control the propagation characteristics of Rayleigh waves by comparison.

Shear horizontal wave propagation on a piezoelectric semiconductor substrate under slight ridge or thin metal strip gratings

In the present work, analytical solutions for shear horizontal (SH) waves propagating in an n-type piezoelectric semiconductor (PSC) substrate under periodic slight ridge or thin metal strip gratings are obtained. The solutions of the various physical fields can be expressed as a summation of infinite harmonic waves by using the Bloch–Floquet theorem due to the existence of the periodic ridge or metal grating. Based on the numerical calculations, the effects of the width, height and shape of the ridge, the doping density of the PSC substrate and the material properties of the metal grating on the dispersion and attenuation curves of the SH waves are investigated. The results show that both the periodic ridge and metal grating have evident effects on the propagation characteristics and displacement mode shapes of the SH waves and the effects are closely related with the ratio of the wavelength to the structure period. In addition, the metal gratings can better control the propagation characteristics of SH waves than the ridges, namely, the effects of the metal gratings are more obvious and flexible than that of the ridges.

Plasmon-Induced Charge Transfer-Enhanced Raman Scattering on a Semiconductor: Toward Amplification-Free Quantification of SARS-CoV-2.

Semiconductors demonstrate great potentials as chemical mechanism-based surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates in determination of biological species in complex living systems with high selectivity. However, low sensitivity is the bottleneck for their practical applications, compared with that of noble metal-based Raman enhancement ascribed to electro-magnetic mechanism. Herein, a novel Cu2O nanoarray with free carrier density of 1.78*1021 cm-3 comparable to that of noble metals was self-assembled, creating a record in enhancement factor (EF) of 3.19×1010 among semiconductor substrates. The significant EF was mainly attributed to plasmon-induced hot electron transfer (PIHET) in semiconductor which was neverreported before. This Cu2O nanoarray was subsequently developed as a highly sensitive and selective SERS chip for non-enzyme and amplification-free SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification with a detection limit down to 60 copies/mL within 5 min. This unique Cu2O nanoarray demonstrated the significant Raman enhancement through PIHET process, enabling rapid and sensitive point-of-care testing of emerging virus variants.

Plasmon‐Induced Charge Transfer‐Enhanced Raman Scattering on a Semiconductor: Toward Amplification‐Free Quantification of SARS‐CoV‐2

AbstractSemiconductors demonstrate great potentials as chemical mechanism‐based surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates in determination of biological species in complex living systems with high selectivity. However, low sensitivity is the bottleneck for their practical applications, compared with that of noble metal‐based Raman enhancement ascribed to electromagnetic mechanism. Herein, a novel Cu2O nanoarray with free carrier density of 1.78×1021 cm−3 comparable to that of noble metals was self‐assembled, creating a record in enhancement factor (EF) of 3.19×1010 among semiconductor substrates. The significant EF was mainly attributed to plasmon‐induced hot electron transfer (PIHET) in semiconductor which was never reported before. This Cu2O nanoarray was subsequently developed as a highly sensitive and selective SERS chip for non‐enzyme and amplification‐free SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA quantification with a detection limit down to 60 copies/mL within 5 min. This unique Cu2O nanoarray demonstrated the significant Raman enhancement through PIHET process, enabling rapid and sensitive point‐of‐care testing of emerging virus variants.