Large-Area Near-Infrared Emission Enhancement on Single Upconversion Nanoparticles by Metal Nanohole Array.

Single lanthanide (Ln) ion doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) exhibit great potential for biomolecule sensing and counting. Plasmonic structures can improve the emission efficiency of single UCNPs by modulating the energy transferring process. Yet, achieving robust and large-area single UCNP emission modulation remains a challenge, which obstructs investigation and application of single UCNPs. Here, we present a strategy using metal nanohole arrays (NHAs) to achieve energy-transfer modulation on single UCNPs simultaneously within large-area plasmonic structures. By coupling surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) with higher-intermediate state (1D2 → 3F3, 1D2 → 3H4) transitions, we achieved a remarkable up to 10-fold enhancement in 800 nm emission, surpassing the conventional approach of coupling SPPs with an intermediate ground state (3H4 → 3H6). We numerically simulate the electrical field distribution and reveal that luminescent enhancement is robust and insensitive to the exact location of particles. It is anticipated that the strategy provides a platform for widely exploring applications in single-particle quantitative biosensing.

An all-two-dimensional Fe-FET retinomorphic sensor based on the novel gate dielectric In2Se3-xOx.

Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric field-effect transistors (Fe-FETs) have attracted extensive interest as a competitive platform for implementing future-generation functional electronics, including digital memory and brain-inspired computing circuits. In 2D Fe-FETs, the 2D ferroelectric materials are more suitable as gate dielectric materials compared to 3D ferroelectric materials. However, the current 2D ferroelectric materials (represented by α-In2Se3) need to be integrated with other 3D gate dielectric layers because of their high conductivity as a ferroelectric semiconductor. This 2D/3D hybrid structure can lead to compatibility problems in practical devices. In this study, a new 2D gate dielectric material that is compatible with the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor process was found by using oxygen plasma treatment. The 2D gate dielectric material obtained shows excellent performance, with an equivalent oxide thickness of less than 0.15 nm, and excellent insulation, with a leakage current of less than 2 × 10-5 A cm-2 (under a 1 V gate voltage). Based on this dielectric layer and the α-In2Se3 ferroelectric gate material, we fabricated an all-2D Fe-FET high-performance photodetector with a high on/off ratio (∼105) and detectivity (>1013 Jones). Moreover, the photoelectric device integrates perception, memory and computing characteristics, indicating that it can be applied to an artificial neural network for visual recognition.

A High-Performance In-Memory Photodetector Realized by Charge Storage in a van der Waals MISFET.

The emerging data-intensive applications in optoelectronics are driving innovation toward the fused integration of sensing, memory, and computing to break through the restrictions of the von Neumann architecture. However, the present photodetectors with only optoelectronic conversion functions cannot satisfy the growing demands of the multifunctions required in single devices. Here, a novel route for the integration of non-volatile memory into a photodetector is proposed, with a WSe2 /h-BN van der Waals heterostructure on a Si/SiO2 substrate to realize in-memory photodetection. This photodetector exhibits an ultrahigh readout photocurrent of 3.4 µA and photoresponsivity of 337.8 A W-1 in the solar-blind wavelength region, together with an extended retention time of more than 10 years. Furthermore, the charge-storage-based non-volatile mechanism of h-BN/SiO2 is successfully proven through a novel analysis of in situ optoelectronic electron energy-loss spectroscopy. These results represent a leap forward to future applications and insightful mechanisms of in-memory photodetection.

High performance sub-bandgap photodetection via internal photoemission based on ideal metal/2D-material van der Waals Schottky interface.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been demonstrated to be promising candidates to design high performance photodetectors owing to their strong light-matter interaction. However, the performance of 2D material photodetectors is still unsatisfactory, such as slow response speed due to defects and vulnerable contact interface, which impede their rapid development in the field of optoelectronics. In this paper, we obtained the ideal and large photosensitive van der Waals Schottky interface by the laminating-flipping method. Hence, a fast response speed (<1 ms) and high detectivity (>1012 Jones) are observed on the van der Waals Schottky junction photodiode. More importantly, benefiting from the flat Schottky interface (the roughness ∼0.6 nm), a sub-bandgap light response modulated by the Schottky barrier height (cut-off edge at 1050 nm) has been detected based on the large Au/MoSe2 sensitive Schottky interface internal photoemission. As a result, a universal strategy for the sub-bandgap near-infrared van der Waals Schottky junction detector of 2D materials was obtained.

Enhanced Performance of a CVD MoS2 Photodetector by Chemical in Situ n-Type Doping.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are a category of promising two-dimensional (2D) materials for the optoelectronic devices, and their unique characteristics include tunable band gap, nondangling bonds as well as compatibility to large-scale fabrication, for instance, chemical vapor deposition (CVD). MoS2 is one of the first TMDs that is well studied in the photodetection area widely. However, the low photoresponse restricts its applications in photodetectors unless the device is applied with ultrahigh source-drain voltage ( VDS) and gate voltage ( VGS). In this work, the photoresponse of a MoS2 photodetector was improved by a chemical in situ doping method using gold chloride hydrate. The responsivity and specific detectivity were increased to 99.9 A/W and 9.4 × 1012 Jones under low VDS (0.1 V) and VGS (0 V), which are 14.6 times and 4.8 times higher than those of a pristine photodetector, respectively. The photoresponse enhancement results from chlorine n-type doping in CVD MoS2 which reduces the trapping of photoinduced electrons and promotes the photogating effect. This novel doping strategy leads to great applications of high-performance MoS2 photodetectors potentially and opens a new avenue to enhance photoresponse for other 2D materials.

Policies, land use, and water resource management in an arid oasis ecosystem.

This paper addresses two questions concerning the relationship between state policies and environmental transformation in China in the past four decades. The first one deals with the promotion of agricultural productivity since the 1980s; the second, the water conservation measures as a response to the water crisis that peaked in the early 2000s. We had chosen Minqin County in northwestern China, one of the most fragile arid oasis systems in the world, as the study area. We found that the irrigated farmland in up and midstream areas had greatly expanded between the 1980s and the 2000s under the government policy of promoting commodity grain production. As a result, the runoff flowing into Minqin Oasis had reduced 80 % from the 1950s to early 2000s. Irrigated farmland in Minqin Oasis expanded 15.76 % from 1995 to 2000. In the 2000s, because of the changing policy discourse that has shifted from productivity to conservation, a new set of environmentally framed policies has restructured agricultural production in Minqin by 2005. These new policies included establishing a watershed-level water management system, promoting drought resistant crops, introducing water-saving irrigation measures, and forced reduction of irrigated farming acreage. These policies have produced positive results in terms of greater coverage of vegetation, rising ground water table, and reduction of evaporation. Nevertheless, new policies have also brought new challenges to both farmers and policy makers to keep the balance between poverty reduction and environmental sustainability in Minqin Oasis in the historically poor region in China's Northwest.