Electronic components embedded in a single graphene nanoribbon.

The use of graphene in electronic devices requires a band gap, which can be achieved by creating nanostructures such as graphene nanoribbons. A wide variety of atomically precise graphene nanoribbons can be prepared through on-surface synthesis, bringing the concept of graphene nanoribbon electronics closer to reality. For future applications it is beneficial to integrate contacts and more functionality directly into single ribbons by using heterostructures. Here, we use the on-surface synthesis approach to fabricate a metal-semiconductor junction and a tunnel barrier in a single graphene nanoribbon consisting of 5- and 7-atom wide segments. We characterize the atomic scale geometry and electronic structure by combined atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and conductance measurements complemented by density functional theory and transport calculations. These junctions are relevant for developing contacts in all-graphene nanoribbon devices and creating diodes and transistors, and act as a first step toward complete electronic devices built into a single graphene nanoribbon.Adding functional electronic components to graphene nanoribbons requires precise control over their atomic structure. Here, the authors use a bottom-up approach to build a metal-semiconductor junction and a tunnel barrier directly into a single graphene nanoribbon, an exciting development for graphene-based electronic devices.

Controlling quantum dot emission by plasmonic nanoarrays.

Metallic nanoparticle arrays support localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and propagating surface lattice resonances (SLRs). We study the control of quantum dot (QD) emission coupled to the optical modes of silver nanoparticle arrays, both experimentally and numerically. With a hybrid lithography-functionalization method, the QDs are deposited in the vicinity of the nanoparticles. Directionality and enhancement of the emission are observed in photoluminescence spectra and fluorescence lifetime measurements, respectively. Similar features are also demonstrated in the numerical simulations. The tunable emission of this type of hybrid structures could lead to potential applications in light sources.

Electron-phonon coupling and intervalley splitting determine the linewidth of single-electron transport through PbSe nanocrystals.

The linewidth of the resonances in the single-electron tunneling spectra has been investigated for PbSe semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) with scanning tunneling spectroscopy at low temperature. The linewidth of the resonances corresponding to tunneling through the first conduction and valence levels is found to increase with decreasing size of the NCs. Based on theoretical calculations, this broadening is mainly induced by the coupling between the tunneling electrons and the longitudinal optical phonon mode of the NC, and by the splitting of the degenerate electronic levels between the different L-valleys in the Brillouin zone. For the smallest sizes, it is shown that the intervalley splitting is the major source of broadening.