Measuring spatially-resolved potential drops at semiconductor hetero-interfaces using 4D-STEM– Publication by A5 (Volz) in Small Methods

/in /by

The team of project A5 of the SFB successfully measured the potential drop across a hetero interface using four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy

Copyright by Wiley, 2023.

Characterizing long-range electric fields and built-in potentials in functional materials at nano to micrometer scales is of supreme importance for optimizing devices. For example, the functionality of semiconductor heterostructures or battery materials is determined by the electric fields established at interfaces, which can also vary spatially. In this study, we propose momentum-resolved four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) for the quantification of these potentials. So far, dynamic effects have inhibited the quantitative evaluation of fields at heterointerfaces. The scientists in SFB project A5 carefully adopted their experimental setup to overcome these challenges and for the first time quantitatively measured the potential drop across a GaAs/AlAs interface.

In detail, a precession electron diffraction (PED) system was introduced, which rocks the impinging electron beam at a rate of 1 kHz, while scanning across the sample. This significantly reduces the impact of dynamic effects in the 4D data. In turn, an energy filter minimizes the influence of inelastic scattering.

Using the method proposed, allows the quantification of intentional or parasitic electric fields even in the presence of heterointerfaces. Accordingly, the characterization of real-life devices, like solar cells or battery materials, which often involve a multitude of such internal interfaces, becomes feasibly to optimize their performance.

Publication

V. Chejarla, S. Ahmed, J. Belz, J. Scheunert, A. Beyer, K. Volz
Measuring spatially-resolved potential drops at semiconductor hetero-interfaces using 4D-STEM
Small Methods (2023) 2300453 DOI:10.1002/smtd.202300453

Contact

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Volz
Philipps-Universität Marburg
SFB 1083 project A5, A14, B13
Tel.: 06421 28-22297
EMAIL

Interface engineering of charge-transfer excitons in 2D lateral heterostructures – Publication by B9 (Malic) in Nature Communications

/in /by

In a joined publication, the groups of Ermin Malic, Bernhard Urbaszek and Andrey Turchanin explained the behavior of quasiparticles in composite semiconductor nanosheets

In a lateral heterostructure, an electron-hole pair spans the interface between two mated TMD semiconductor surfaces. (Figure: Giuseppe Meneghini, Copyright CC-BY 4.0 )

The presence of bound charge transfer (CT) excitons at the interface of monolayer lateral heterojunctions has been a topic of debate in the literature. However, unlike interlayer excitons in vertical heterostructures, their confirmation through observation is still pending.

In this work, a microscopic study investigating signatures of bound CT excitons in photoluminescence spectra at the interface of hBN-encapsulated lateral MoSe2-WSe2 heterostructures is presented. The fully microscopic and material-specific theory illustrates the many-particle processes behind the formation of CT excitons and details their potential manipulation through interface- and dielectric engineering. For junction widths smaller than the Coulomb-induced Bohr radius the appearance of a low-energy CT exciton is predicted. This theory is further compared with experimental low-temperature photoluminescence measurements showing emission in the bound CT excitons energy range. It is observed that CT excitons in hBN-encapsulated heterostructures possess small binding energies of just a few tens meV while exhibiting significant dipole moments. These properties make them ideal materials for optoelectronics applications that take advantage of efficient exciton dissociation and fast dipole-driven exciton propagation.

The joint theory-experiment study presents a significant step towards a microscopic understanding of optical properties of technologically promising 2D lateral heterostructures.

Informational Material

– Press release of the university of Marburg (in German).

Publication

R. Rosati, I. Paradisanos, L. Huang, Z. Gan, A. George, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, L. Lombez, P. Renucci, A. Turchanin, B. Urbaszek, E. Malic
Interface engineering of charge-transfer excitons in 2D lateral heterostructures
Nat Commun 14 (2023) 2438 DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-37889-9

Contact

Prof. Dr. Ermin Malic
Philipps-Universität Marburg
SFB 1083 project B9
Tel.: 06421 28-22640
EMAIL

Electrical control of hybrid exciton transport in a van-der-Waals heterostructure – Publication by B9 (Malic) in Nature Photonics

/in /by

A research team including the experimental group of Andras Kis from the EPFL and the theoretical group of Ermin Malic demonstrated electrical control of the hybrid exciton transport in 2D material heterostructures.

PL spectra as a function of the applied vertical electric field. Low and high field regions are related to predominant KΛ/K′Λ′ and KΛ′/K′Λ transitions, respectively. (Copyright CC-BY 4.0)

Interactions between out-of-plane dipoles in bosonic gases enable the long-range propagation of excitons. However, the lack of direct control over collective dipolar properties has hitherto limited the degrees of tunability and the microscopic understanding of exciton transport.

In this work, the authors modulated the layer hybridization and interplay between many-body interactions of excitons in a van-der-Waals heterostructure with an applied vertical electric field. By performing spatiotemporally resolved measurements supported by microscopic theory, the dipole-dependent properties and transport of excitons with different degrees of hybridization were characterized. Moreover, it was found that constant emission quantum yields of the transporting species as a function of excitation power with dominating radiative decay mechanisms over nonradiative ones, a fundamental requirement for efficient excitonic devices.

The findings provide a complete picture of the many-body effects in the transport of dilute exciton gases and have crucial implications for the study of emerging states of matter, such as Bose-Einstein condensation, as well as for optoelectronic applications based on exciton propagation.

Publication

F. Tagarelli, E. Lopriore, D. Erkensten, R. Perea-Causín, S. Brem, J. Hagel, Z. Sun, G. Pasquale, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, E. Malic, A. Kis
Electrical control of hybrid exciton transport in a van der Waals heterostructure
Nat. Photon. (2023) DOI:10.1038/s41566-023-01198-w

Contact

Prof. Dr. Ermin Malic
Philipps-Universität Marburg
SFB 1083 project B9
Tel.: 06421 28-22640
EMAIL