Vertical Electron Transport Research Articles

Construction of a 2D/2D Vs-ZnIn2S4/Zn-TCPP heterojunction for effective charge transfer to enhance photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The integration of inorganic and organic semiconductor components in composites has tremendous potential in photocatalysis, owing to the ultrafast photogenerated exciton dissociation and slow carrier recombination kinetics at their interfaces, which can result in enhanced photocatalytic performances. By exploiting the synergy among morphology modulation, sulfur vacancy (Vs) engineering, and close interface control, a novel inorganic–organic Vs-ZnIn2S4/ tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) zinc porphyrin (Zn-TCPP) composite for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) was successfully synthesized via microwave-assisted solvothermal and self-assembly methods. The cocatalyst-free PHE rate of Vs-ZnIn2S4/Zn-TCPP (ZZT-20 %) reaches 8.997 mmol h−1 g−1 under visible light irradiation, which is 10.9, 2.2, and 67.1 times that of ZnIn2S4, Vs-ZnIn2S4, and Zn-TCPP, respectively. Moreover, the apparent quantum yield of ZZT-20 % under 420 nm monochromatic light (1.11 %) clearly exceeds that of Vs-ZnIn2S4. Testing experiments and DFT calculations revealed that the significantly enhanced PHE activity can be mainly attributed to the Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism, which greatly improves the visible light response range and redox potentials. Remarkably, Vs sites act as electron traps, inducing the vertical transport of electrons within the bulk phase and their accumulation at the surface Zn–S bonds. Simultaneously, van der Waals forces and weak hydrogen bonds between Vs-ZnIn2S4 and the Zn-TCPP interface cause the rapid migration of photogenerated electrons to Zn-TCPP. This work not only reveals new insights into the structure–property relationships of inorganic–organic Vs-ZnIn2S4 and Zn-TCPP composites, but also provides an appropriate strategy for cleaner water resourcelization and sustainable solar energy conversion.

Switching Response in Organic Electrochemical Transistors by Ionic Diffusion and Electronic Transport.

The switching response in organic electrochemical transistors (OECT) is a basic effect in which a transient current occurs in response to a voltage perturbation. This phenomenon has an important impact on different aspects of the application of OECT, such as the equilibration times, the hysteresis dependence on scan rates, and the synaptic properties for neuromorphic applications. Here we establish a model that unites vertical ion diffusion and horizontal electronic transport for the analysis of the time-dependent current response of OECTs. We use a combination of tools consisting of a physical analytical model; advanced 2D drift-diffusion simulation; and the experimental measurement of a poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) OECT. We show the reduction of the general model to simple time-dependent equations for the average ionic/hole concentration inside the organic film, which produces a Bernards-Malliaras conservation equation coupled with a diffusion equation. We provide a basic classification of the transient response to a voltage pulse, and the correspondent hysteresis effects of the transfer curves. The shape of transients is basically related to the main control phenomenon, either the vertical diffusion of ions during doping and dedoping, or the equilibration of electronic current along the channel length.

Optimization of electron transmission on a 1D lattice

Finding optimal multi-layer heterostructure configurations that result in desired current–voltage characteristics requires physical control of electron scattering processes. It is shown how a one-dimensional tight-binding Hamiltonian combined with the adjoint method may be employed to explore this non-convex and non-intuitive design space. Such optimal parameter exploration has application to study of vertical electron transport through van der Waals stacked few-layer quantum materials and nano-scale single-crystal semiconductor heterostructures.

Electrochemical performance of gold-decorated graphene electrodes integrated with SiC

Here we investigate the interface properties of gold (Au) decorated graphenized surfaces of 4H-SiC intended for electrochemical electrodes. These are fabricated using a two-step process: discontinuous Au layers with a nominal thickness of 2 nm are sputter-deposited onto 4H-SiC substrates with different graphenization extent—zero-layer graphene (ZLG) and monolayer epitaxial graphene) —followed by thermal annealing. By performing combined morphometric analysis, Raman mapping analysis, conductive atomic force microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, we shed light on the relationship between physical processes (Au intercalation, particle re-shaping, and de-wetting) caused by thermal annealing and the intrinsic properties of graphenized SiC (vertical electron transport, charge-transfer properties, vibrational properties, and catalytic activity). We find that the impedance spectra of all considered structures exhibit two semicircles in the high and low frequency regions, which may be attributed to the graphene/ZLG/SiC (or Au/graphene/ZLG/SiC) and SiC/ZLG/graphene/electrolyte (or SiC/ZLG//Au/electrolyte) interfaces, respectively. An equivalent circuit model is proposed to estimate the interface carrier transfer parameters. This work provides an in-depth comprehension of the way by which the Au/2D carbon/SiC interaction strength influences the interface properties of heterostructures, which can be helpful for developing high performance catalytic and sensing devices.

Vertical and In-Plane Electronic Transport of Graphene Nanoribbon/Nanotube Heterostructures.

All-carbon systems have proven to present interesting transport properties and are often used in electronic devices. Motivated by recent resonant responses measured on graphene/fullerene junction, we propose coupled nanoribbons/carbon-nanotube heterostructures for use as charge filters and to allow tuned transport. These hybrid systems are engineered as a four-terminal device, and we explore multiple combinations of source and collector leads. The armchair-edge configuration results in midgap states when the transport is carried through top/bottom terminals. Such states are robust against the lack of perfect order on the tube and are revealed as sharp steps in the characteristic current curves when a bias potential is turned on. The zigzag-edge systems exhibit differential negative resistance, with features determined by the details of the hybrid structures.

Investigation on the Influence of Ohmic Structure on Channel-to-Channel Coupling Effect in InAlN/GaN Double Channel HEMTs

In this paper, the impact of ohmic structure on channel-to-channel (C2C) coupling effect in InAlN/GaN double channel (DC) HEMTs is systematically analyzed and studied. For the un-recessed ohmic structure, the electrons in the upper channel can easily inject into the bottom channel due to the ultra-thin InAlN back barrier layer. Therefore, the maximum drain current and transconductance peak of the bottom channel significantly increase. For recessed ohmic structure, the reduced vertical electric field strength of the upper channel can effectively weaken the coupling effect between the two GaN channels. Benefiting from the suppressed vertical transport of electrons in the upper channel, higher drain current and transconductance of the upper channel are obtained in the recessed ohmic structure. In addition, the transmission electron microscope (TEM) microstructural analysis of the DC HEMTs with recessed ohmic structure was also performed. This shows that the recessed ohmic structure can modulate the electron transport mode in the InAlN/GaN DC HEMTs. The coupling effect of the two channels will play a major role in influencing the characteristics of current gain cutoff frequency (fT) / maximum power gain cutoff frequency (fmax) versus VGS and have a significant effect on large-signal characteristics, which is quite attractive for the fabrication of power microwave GaN-based HEMTs with wide gate swing.

Clarifying Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in Ultrathin Films of the Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 Using Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in the topological insulator Bi2Se3 have recently been intensively studied using a variety of techniques. However, we are not aware of any successful experiments exploiting transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy for these purposes. Here we demonstrate that if the ~730 nm wavelength pumping (~1.7 eV photon energy) is applied to ultrathin Bi2Se3 films, TA spectra cover the entire visible region, thus unambiguously pointing to two-photon excitation (~3.4 eV). The carrier relaxation dynamics is found to be governed by the polar optical phonon cascade emission occurring in both the bulk states and the Dirac surface states (SS), including SS-bulk-SS vertical electron transport and being also exclusively influenced by whether the Dirac point is presented between the Dirac cones of the higher energy (~1.5 eV) Dirac SS (known as SS2). We have recognized that SS2 act as a valve substantially slowing down the relaxation of electrons when the gap between Dirac cones exceeds the polar optical phonon and resonant defects energies. The resulting progressive accumulation of electrons in the gapped SS2 becomes detectable through the inverse bremsstrahlung type free carrier absorption.

Highly Ordered Nanotube Arrays as Photo-Anodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells by Electrochemical Method

Symmetrically packed TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) were fabricated in fluorine free perchloric acid medium by electrochemical anodization method. During anodization interconnected pores developed by forming amorphous/ hydroxides of titanium film. On increasing anodization, thickness of film increased and pores tend to become aligned providing surface layer of nanotubes on the electrode material. The 1-D charge carrier transport property of the tubular geometry have attracted scientists attention in using TNTs for TiO2 photovoltaic and photo catalysis applications. By controlling the anodization process, the length, diameter and wall thickness of TNTs can be tailored. The iron and chromium doped highly ordered 1-D TNTs obtained during anodization are superior photoanodes for dye-sensitized solar cells because of its reduced inter tube connections, vertical electron transport, suppressed electron recombination and enhanced current density, efficiency in power conversion and light scattering. The morphological characteristics and microstructure of TNTs were investigated by SEM and X-ray diffraction analysis. Diffusion electron spectroscopy has been used to analyze the amount absorption of the dye on the surface of the various TNT, which acknowledges the direct co relation between the dye absorption and morphology of the sample.

Graphene as a Schottky Barrier Contact to AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures.

Electrical and noise properties of graphene contacts to AlGaN/GaN heterostructures were studied experimentally. It was found that graphene on AlGaN forms a high-quality Schottky barrier with the barrier height dependent on the bias. The apparent barrier heights for this kind of Schottky diode were found to be relatively high, varying within the range of φb = (1.0–1.26) eV. AlGaN/GaN fin-shaped field-effect transistors (finFETs) with a graphene gate were fabricated and studied. These devices demonstrated ~8 order of magnitude on/off ratio, subthreshold slope of ~1.3, and low subthreshold current in the sub-picoamperes range. The effective trap density responsible for the 1/f low-frequency noise was found within the range of (1–5) · 1019 eV−1 cm−3. These values are of the same order of magnitude as reported earlier and in AlGaN/GaN transistors with Ni/Au Schottky gate studied as a reference in the current study. A good quality of graphene/AlGaN Schottky barrier diodes and AlGaN/GaN transistors opens the way for transparent GaN-based electronics and GaN-based devices exploring vertical electron transport in graphene.

Vertical current transport processes in MOS-HEMT heterostructures

The nature of vertical electron transport through MIS structures has not been fully understood until now. This applies all the more to metal/Al2O3/GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructures used in GaN-based MOS-HEMTs. Devices based on such heterostructures are utilized in power electronics applications and are frequently intended for use at very high temperatures. Regrettably, there are only few works dealing with the effect of heat on the current transport in such devices. Therefore, we describe a novel model for vertical electron transport through GaN-based MOS-HEMT structures, simulate the gate currents, and compare the results with experimental high-temperature I-V curves. In the present paper we show that trap-assisted tunnelling (TAT) between the metal and the surface of the semiconductor is the main transport mechanism in such MOS structures.

Similar “relay race” capacitance behaviors of folded graphene films based high-performance supercapacitors

Graphene film has a great planar electron transport characteristic, yet its vertical electron transport efficiency is limited due to the two-dimensional stacked structure, which restricts the wide implementation of graphene-based films in energy storage field, such as supercapacitors (SCs). Herein, we present a novel folding strategy to tackle this issue and enable preparation of high mass loading graphene film possessing high-performance. Folded reduced graphene oxide (F-rGO) films via low-temperature thermal reduction show the folded paper-like structure and an interesting electrochemical law. Briefly, by combining the capacitance performance of different fold films, the resulting films exhibit a capacitance retention behavior of similar “relay race”, rendering that their gravimetric capacitance always maintain high level value (>180 F g−1) at the range of 2–9 mg cm−2, and the volumetric capacitance can achieve ~232 F cm−3 even at 11.3 mg cm−2. Meanwhile, their areal capacitance also exhibits a relay-like and linear growth with increasing mass loading and eventually achieve ~3400 mF cm−2 at 17 mg cm−2. In addition, flexible all-solid state SCs assembled by the F-rGO films also present excellent electrochemical and structural stability under bending states. Therefore, we believe that folding technique is a meaningful way to produce high-performance graphene based electrodes.

Large-Signal Model of the Metal–Insulator–Graphene Diode Targeting RF Applications

We present a circuit-design compatible large-signal compact model of metal-insulator-graphene (MIG) diodes for describing its dynamic response for the first time. The model essentially consists of a voltage-dependent diode intrinsic capacitance coupled with a static voltage-dependent current source, the latter accounts for the vertical electron transport from/towards graphene, which has been modeled by means of the Dirac-thermionic electron transport theory through the insulator barrier. Importantly, the image force effect has been found to play a key role in determining the barrier height, so it has been incorporated into the model accordingly. The resulting model has been implemented in Verilog A to be used in existing circuit simulators and benchmarked against an experimental 6-nm TiO2 barrier MIG diode working as a power detector.

Geometric Effects in Current-Voltage Characteristics of a Cross-Shaped MDM Ni/NiO/Fe Structure

The current–voltage (I–U) characteristics of a cross-shaped metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) Ni/NiO/Fe structures with NiO layers of different thicknesses are investigated. The dependence of the sign of the differential resistance on the current flowing through the structure and on the thickness of the NiO in a four-contact measuring system of potentials is revealed. In a region 8–10 nm thick, the voltage on the structure changes sign thrice and has the form of an N-shaped curve. This dependence is explained by the geometric effect, which appears due to the competition between the vertical and lateral electron transport, when the ratio of the resistances of the dielectric interlayer and metallic leading electrodes changes under the influence of the current. The numerical calculation confirms the experimentally observed I–U dependences.

Large-area SnSe2/GaN heterojunction diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We report on the synthesis and properties of wafer-scale two-dimensional/three-dimensional (2D/3D) n-SnSe2/n-GaN(0001) heterojunctions. The hexagonal crystal structure of crystalline SnSe2 grown by molecular beam epitaxy was confirmed via in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and off-axis X-ray diffraction. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements of SnSe2/GaN diodes exhibited 9 orders of magnitude rectification, and the SnSe2/GaN heterojunction barrier height was estimated to be 1 eV using capacitance-voltage measurements and internal photoemission measurements. Vertical electronic transport analyzed using temperature-dependent I-V measurements indicates thermionic field emission transport across the junction. This work demonstrates the potential of epitaxial growth of large area high quality 2D crystals on 3D bulk semiconductors for device applications involving carrier injection across 2D/3D heterojunctions.

Inter-Layer Coupling Effects on Vertical Electron Transport in Multilayer Graphene Nanoribbons

We have performed nonequilibrium Green function simulations on the vertical transport characteristics in multilayer graphene nanoribbons sandwiched between two graphene contact layers with varying the inter-layer coupling strength β. We find that the integrated transmission function thorough the top (or bottom) layer is hardly affected by β when the incident energy is close to the Dirac point. The β-insensitive energy window becomes narrower as the channel length increases.

Is there any Real Effect of Low Dimensional Morphologies towards Light Harvesting? A Case Study of Au–rGO‐TiO2 Nanocomposites

AbstractNanotube and nanosheet morphologies have been celebrated for their electron transport properties. Present work has been explored to exploit the same by combining 1D TiO2 nanotube (1D‐TN) with 2D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) along with nano gold for visible light sensitization for photocatalytic H2 generation under one sun condition and visible light (λ≥ 400 nm). Vertical and horizontal electron transport in 1D‐TN and rGO, respectively, is combined with the visible light absorption capability of Au nanoparticle. H2 yield (HY) varies between 100 and 655 µmol/g.h with an apparent quantum yield between 0.45 and 3.2 %, respectively, depending on Au/rGO/1D‐TN preparation method and reaction conditions. It has been demonstrated that interfacial contact between rGO/1D‐TN and Au is crucial for high photocatalytic HY. Preparation method influences charge utilization, and hence HY, to a large extent. Nonetheless, the maximum HY reported in the present work is just comparable to HY reported in literature with the most commonly found spherical morphology, and this leads to a question of, is there any real influence of 1D and/or 2D materials, particularly, towards light harvesting applications?

Coherent vertical electron transport and interface roughness effects in AlGaN/GaN intersubband devices

We investigate electron transport in epitaxially grown nitride-based resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) and superlattice sequential tunneling devices. A density-matrix model is developed, and shown to reproduce the experimentally measured features of the current–voltage curves, with its dephasing terms calculated from semi-classical scattering rates. Lifetime broadening effects are shown to have a significant influence in the experimental data. Additionally, it is shown that the interface roughness geometry has a large effect on current magnitude, peak-to-valley ratios and misalignment features; in some cases eliminating negative differential resistance entirely in RTDs. Sequential tunneling device characteristics are dominated by a parasitic current that is most likely to be caused by dislocations; however, excellent agreement between the simulated and experimentally measured tunneling current magnitude and alignment bias is demonstrated. This analysis of the effects of scattering lifetimes, contact doping and growth quality on electron transport highlights critical optimization parameters for the development of III–nitride unipolar electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Vertical Transport in InAs/GaSb Superlattice at Low Temperatures

We report on the vertical electron mobility versus temperature by applying the interface roughness scattering and the ionized impurity scattering in InAs/GaSb superlattices. Using the Finite Difference K.P method, we calculate the band structure of InAs/Gasb superlattices and then study the transport properties of these systems. The effects of several structural parameters such as layer thicknesses, interface roughness height, correlation length, and ion density are investigated for the vertical electron transport. Theoretical modeling results show that these two scattering mechanisms are important at low temperatures, and also in thin layer systems.

Vertical Mode Gas Sensing Performance of TiO2 Nanotube Array by Tuning of Surface Area and Carrier Transport Length

1-D oxide nanostructures-based metal-insulator–metal structures represent potential gas sensor devices, owing to their vertical electron transport feature. In this paper, we demonstrate that for achieving optimum gas sensing by a TiO2 nanotube (NT) array in vertical mode, tuning of NTs (1-D) surface area as well as carrier transport path length by tailoring the NT length can be a valuable approach. For anodization times of 1, 4, 8, 12, and 16 h, the corresponding NT length was found to be 280–320, 506–514, 1730–1790, 2000–2200, and 2380–2420 nm, respectively, with almost no variation in tube diameters or separations. The carrier concentrations of the NTs were found to be decreasing with increasing tube length. The vertical device structure, employing NT arrays of different lengths as the sensing layer, was investigated in the temperature range of 50 °C–250 °C for sensing acetone, as a test gas/vapor, in the concentration range of 10–1000 ppm. The response magnitude of the sensor was increased with increased NT length, possibly owing to the availability of larger amounts of gas interaction sites due to higher surface area at increased length. The response time and recovery time of the developed sensor also increased with increasing tube length and became excessively sluggish after the critical tube length exceeded 2250 nm owing to slower adsorption/desorption and diffusion kinetics.

Resonant tunneling transport in AlzGa1−zN/InxGa1−xN/AlzGa1−zN/InyGa1−yN quantum structures

We present a room temperature simulation of the vertical electron transport in the pseudomorphic quantum stack Al0.5G0.5N/InxGa1−xN/Al0.5G0.5N/In0.1Ga0.9N/GaN, which is designed with a 6 nm thick lateral In0.1Ga0.9N/GaN n-type corrected spacer. Using the transfer matrix formalism, we investigate the effects of the conduction band discontinuities and internal field on the transmission coefficient and the current-voltage characteristics by varying the indium contents in the central quantum well. We demonstrate that an optimal design in terms of compositions, thicknesses, and doping of the studied resonant tunneling structure may allow a peak-to-valley ratio as high as 882 @1.1–1.3 V.