Joel C. Weber

Microwave Near-Field Imaging of Two-Dimensional Semiconductors

Optimizing new generations of two-dimensional devices based on van der Waals materials will require techniques capable of measuring variations in electronic properties in situ and with nanometer spatial resolution. We perform scanning microwave microscopy (SMM) imaging of single layers of MoS2 and n- and p-doped WSe2. By controlling the sample charge carrier concentration through the applied tip bias, we are able to reversibly control and optimize the SMM contrast to image variations in electronic structure and the localized effects of surface contaminants. By further performing tip bias-dependent point spectroscopy together with finite element simulations, we distinguish the effects of the quantum capacitance and determine the local dominant charge carrier species and dopant concentration. These results underscore the capability of SMM for the study of 2D materials to image, identify, and study electronic defects.

A near-field scanning microwave microscope for characterization of inhomogeneous photovoltaics

We present a near-field scanning microwave microscope (NSMM) that has been configured for imaging photovoltaic samples. Our system incorporates a Pt-Ir tip inserted into an open-ended coaxial cable to form a weakly coupled resonator, allowing the microwave reflection S(11) signal to be measured across a sample over a frequency range of 1 GHz - 5 GHz. A phase-tuning circuit increased impedance-measurement sensitivity by allowing for tuning of the S(11) minimum down to -78 dBm. A bias-T and preamplifier enabled simultaneous, non-contact measurement of the DC tip-sample current, and a tuning fork feedback system provided simultaneous topographic data. Light-free tuning fork feedback provided characterization of photovoltaic samples both in the dark and under illumination at 405 nm. NSMM measurements were obtained on an inhomogeneous, third-generation Cu(In,Ga)Se(2) (CIGS) sample. The S(11) and DC current features were found to spatially broaden around grain boundaries with the sample under illumination. The broadening is attributed to optically generated charge that becomes trapped and changes the local depletion of the grain boundaries, thereby modifying the local capacitance. Imaging provided by the NSMM offers a new RF methodology to resolve and characterize nanoscale electrical features in photovoltaic materials and devices.

Gallium nitride nanowire probe for near-field scanning microwave microscopy

We report on the fabrication of a GaN nanowire probe for near-field scanning microwave microscopy. A single nanowire was Pt-bonded to a commercial Si cantilever prior to evaporation of a Ti/Al coating to provide a microwave signal pathway. Testing over a microcapacitor calibration sample shows the probe to have capacitance resolution of at least 0.7 fF with improved sensitivity and reduced uncertainty compared with a commercial microwave probe. High wear resistance of the defect-free nanowire enabled it to maintain a tip radius of 150 nm after multiple contact-mode scans while demonstrating nanometer-scale topographical resolution.

Imaging the p-n junction in a gallium nitride nanowire with a scanning microwave microscope

We used a broadband, atomic-force-microscope-based, scanning microwave microscope (SMM) to probe the axial dependence of the charge depletion in a p-n junction within a gallium nitride nanowire (NW). SMM enables the visualization of the p-n junction location without the need to make patterned electrical contacts to the NW. Spatially resolved measurements of S11′, which is the derivative of the RF reflection coefficient S11 with respect to voltage, varied strongly when probing axially along the NW and across the p-n junction. The axial variation in S11′  effectively mapped the asymmetric depletion arising from the doping concentrations on either side of the junction. Furthermore, variation of the probe tip voltage altered the apparent extent of features associated with the p-n junction in S11′ images.

GaN nanowire coated with atomic layer deposition of tungsten: a probe for near-field scanning microwave microscopy

GaN nanowires were coated with tungsten by means of atomic layer deposition. These structures were then adapted as probe tips for near-field scanning microwave microscopy. These probes displayed a capacitive resolution of ~0.03 fF, which surpasses that of a commercial Pt tip. Upon imaging of MoS₂ sheets with both the Pt and GaN nanowire tips, we found that the nanowire tips were comparatively immune to surface contamination and far more durable than their Pt counterparts.

Adaptive and robust statistical methods for processing near-field scanning microwave microscopy images

Near-field scanning microwave microscopy offers great potential to facilitate characterization, development and modeling of materials. By acquiring microwave images at multiple frequencies and amplitudes (along with the other modalities) one can study material and device physics at different lateral and depth scales. Images are typically noisy and contaminated by artifacts that can vary from scan line to scan line and planar-like trends due to sample tilt errors. Here, we level images based on an estimate of a smooth 2-d trend determined with a robust implementation of a local regression method. In this robust approach, features and outliers which are not due to the trend are automatically downweighted. We denoise images with the Adaptive Weights Smoothing method. This method smooths out additive noise while preserving edge-like features in images. We demonstrate the feasibility of our methods on topography images and microwave |S11| images. For one challenging test case, we demonstrate that our method outperforms alternative methods from the scanning probe microscopy data analysis software package Gwyddion. Our methods should be useful for massive image data sets where manual selection of landmarks or image subsets by a user is impractical.

Core-shell p-i-n GaN nanowire LEDs by N-polar selective area growth

GaN nanowire LEDs with radial p-i-n junctions were grown by molecular beam epitaxy using N-polar selective area growth on Si(111) substrates. The N-polar selective area growth process facilitated the growth of isolated and highaspect-ratio n-type NW cores that were not subject to self-shadowing effects during the subsequent growth of a conformal low-temperature Mg:GaN shell. LED devices were fabricated from single-NW and multiple-NW arrays in their as-grown configuration by contacting the n-type core through an underlying conductive GaN layer and the p-type NW shell via a metallization layer. The NW LEDs exhibited rectifying I-V characteristics with a sharp turn-on voltage near the GaN bandgap and low reverse bias leakage current. Under forward bias, the NW LEDs produced electroluminescence with a peak emission wavelength near 380 nm and exhibited a small spectral blueshift with increasing current injection, both of which are consistent with electron recombination in the p-type shell layer through donor-acceptor-pair recombination. These core-shell NW devices demonstrate N-polar selective area growth as an effective technique for producing on-chip nanoscale light sources.

Microwave near-field probes for photovoltaic applications

The photoresponse of three different photovoltaic Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) samples as well as GaAs and silicon bulk samples is measured using near-field scanning microwave microscopy (NSMM). Modeling predicts light-dependent conductivity values for bulk samples, as well as a preliminary understanding of more complicated multilayer photovoltaics. The spectral dependence of CIGS samples is probed at 405, 635, 808 and 980 nm wavelengths. In addition, we present two-dimensional raster scans that may reveal grain-boundary effects under illumination.