Enhancing Carrier Diffusion Length and Quantum Efficiency through Photoinduced Charge Transfer in Layered Graphene-Semiconducting Quantum Dot Devices.

Hybrid devices consisting of graphene or transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) were widely studied for potential photodetector and photovoltaic applications, while for photodetector applications, high internal quantum efficiency (IQE) is required for photovoltaic applications and enhanced carrier diffusion length is also desirable. Here, we reported the electrical measurements on hybrid field-effect optoelectronic devices consisting of compact QD monolayer at controlled separations from single-layer graphene, and the structure is characterized by high IQE and large enhancement of minority carrier diffusion length. While the IQE ranges from 10.2% to 18.2% depending on QD-graphene separation, ds, the carrier diffusion length, LD, estimated from scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) measurements, could be enhanced by a factor of 5-8 as compared to that of pristine graphene. IQE and LD could be tuned by varying back gate voltage and controlling the extent of charge separation from the proximal QD layer due to photoexcitation. The obtained IQE values were remarkably high, considering that only a single QD layer was used, and the parameters could be further enhanced in such devices significantly by stacking multiple layers of QDs. Our results could have significant implications for utilizing these hybrid devices as photodetectors and active photovoltaic materials with high efficiency.

Ultra-high sensitivity infra-red detection and temperature effects in a graphene-tellurium nanowire binary hybrid.

The optoelectronic performance of hybrid devices from graphene and optically sensitive semiconductors exceeds conventional photodetectors due to a large in-built optical gain. Tellurium nanowire (TeNW), being a narrow direct band gap semiconductor (∼0.65 eV), is as an excellent potential candidate for near infra-red (NIR) detection. Here we demonstrate a new graphene-TeNW binary hybrid that exhibits a maximum photoresponsivity of ∼106 A W-1 at 175 K in the NIR regime (920 nm-1720 nm), which exceeds the photoresponsivity of the most common NIR photodetectors. The resulting noise-equivalent power (NEP) is as low as 2 × 10-18 W Hz-1/2, and the specific detectivity (D*) exceeds 5 × 1013 cm Hz1/2 W-1 (Jones). The temperature range of optimal operation, which extends up to ≈220 K and ≈260 K for 1720 nm and 920 nm excitation, respectively, is primarily limited by the electrical conductivity of the TeNW layer, and can further be improved by lowering of the defect density as well as inter-wire electronic coupling.

Directed Assembly of Ultrathin Gold Nanowires over Large Area by Dielectrophoresis.

Ultrathin Au nanowires (∼2 nm diameter) are interesting from a fundamental point of view to study structure and electronic transport and also hold promise in the field of nanoelectronics, particularly for sensing applications. Device fabrication by direct growth on various substrates has been useful in demonstrating some of the potential applications. However, the realization of practical devices requires device fabrication strategies that are fast, inexpensive, and efficient. Herein, we demonstrate directed assembly of ultrathin Au nanowires over large areas across electrodes using ac dielectrophoresis with a mechanistic understanding of the process. On the basis of the voltage and frequency, the wires either align in between or across the contact pads. We exploit this assembly to produce an array of contacting wires for statistical estimation of electrical transport with important implications for future nanoelectronic/sensor applications.