José Ramón Durán Retamal

Probing surface band bending of surface-engineered metal oxide nanowires.

We in situ probed the surface band bending (SBB) by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) in conjunction with field-effect transistor measurements on the incompletely depleted ZnO nanowires (NWs). The diameter range of the NWs is ca. 150-350 nm. Several surface treatments (i.e., heat treatments and Au nanoparticle (NP) decoration) were conducted to assess the impact of the oxygen adsorbates on the SBB. A 100 °C heat treatment leads to the decrease of the SBB to 0.74 ± 0.15 eV with 29.9 ± 3.0 nm width, which is attributed to the removal of most adsorbed oxygen molecules from the ZnO NW surfaces. The SBB of the oxygen-adsorbed ZnO NWs is measured to be 1.53 ± 0.15 eV with 43.2 ± 2.0 nm width. The attachment of Au NPs to the NW surface causes unusually high SBB (2.34 ± 0.15 eV with the wide width of 53.3 ± 1.6 nm) by creating open-circuit nano-Schottky junctions and catalytically enhancing the formation of the charge O(2) adsorbates. These surface-related phenomena should be generic to all metal oxide nanostructures. Our study is greatly beneficial for the NW-based device design of sensor and optoelectronic applications via surface engineering.

Surface effects on optical and electrical properties of ZnO nanostructures

This article presents a comprehensive review of the current research addressing the surface effects on physical properties and potential applications of nanostructured ZnO. Studies illustrating the transport, photoluminescence (PL), and photoconductivity properties of ZnO with ultrahigh surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio are reviewed first. Secondly, we examine recent studies of the applications of nanostructured ZnO employing the surface effect on gas/chemical sensing, relying on a change of conductivity via electron trapping and detrapping process at the surfaces of nanostructures. Finally, we comprehensively review the photovoltaic (PV) application of ZnO nanostructures. The ultrahigh S/V ratios of nanostructured devices suggest that studies on the synthesis and PV properties of various nanostructured ZnO for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) offer great potential for high efficiency and low-cost solar cell solutions. After surveying the current literature on the surface effects on nano-structured ZnO, we conclude this review with personal perspectives on a few surface-related issues that remain to be addressed before nanostructured ZnO devices can reach their ultimate potential as a new class of industrial applications.

Going beyond 4 Gbps data rate by employing RGB laser diodes for visible light communication

With increasing interest in visible light communication, the laser diode (LD) provides an attractive alternative, with higher efficiency, shorter linewidth and larger bandwidth for high-speed visible light communication (VLC). Previously, more than 3 Gbps data rate was demonstrated using LED. By using LDs and spectral-efficient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing encoding scheme, significantly higher data rates has been achieved in this work. Using 16-QAM modulation scheme, in conjunction with red, blue and green LDs, data rates of 4.4 Gbps, 4 Gbps and 4 Gbps, with the corresponding BER/SNR/EVM of 3.3 × 10⁻³/15.3/17.9, 1.4 × 10⁻³/16.3/15.4 and 2.8 × 10⁻³/15.5/16.7were obtained over transmission distance of ~20 cm. We also simultaneously demonstrated white light emission using red, blue and green LDs, after passing through a commercially available diffuser element. Our work highlighted that a tradeoff exists in operating the blue LDs at optimum bias condition while maintaining good color temperature. The best results were obtained when encoding red LDs which gave both the strongest received signal amplitude and white light with CCT value of 5835K.

Photocarrier Relaxation Behavior of a Single ZnO Nanowire UV Photodetector: Effect of Surface Band Bending

The surface effect on the photocarrier relaxation behavior using a single ZnO nanowire (NW) ultraviolet (UV) photodetector has been evaluated. The pronounced surface effect leads to the enhancement-mode field-effect-transistor behavior in dark and accounts for the slow relaxation behavior after switching off the illumination. The recovery of photocurrent is found to be strongly related to the intensity of UV light and the diameter of NWs, indicating that the photocarrier relaxation behavior is dominated by surface band bending (SBB). A model for the relaxation behavior based on the SBB of NWs is proposed to interpret the experimental results.

Schottky junctions on perovskite single crystals: light-modulated dielectric constant and self-biased photodetection

Schottky junctions formed between semiconductors and metal contacts are ubiquitous in modern electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here we report on the physical properties of Schottky-junctions formed on hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystals. It is found that light illumination can significantly increase the dielectric constant of perovskite junctions by 2300%. Furthermore, such Pt/perovskite junctions are used to fabricate self-biased photodetectors. A photodetectivity of 1.4 × 1010 Jones is obtained at zero bias, which increases to 7.1 × 1011 Jones at a bias of +3 V, and the photodetectivity remains almost constant in a wide range of light intensity. These devices also exhibit fast responses with a rising time of 70 μs and a falling time of 150 μs. As a result of the high crystal quality and low defect density, such single-crystal photodetectors show stable performance after storage in air for over 45 days. Our results suggest that hybrid perovskite single crystals provide a new platform to develop promising optoelectronic applications.

Single Atomically Sharp Lateral Monolayer p-n Heterojunction Solar Cells with Extraordinarily High Power Conversion Efficiency

The recent development of 2D monolayer lateral semiconductor has created new paradigm to develop p-n heterojunctions. Albeit, the growth methods of these heterostructures typically result in alloy structures at the interface, limiting the development for high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) devices. Here, the PV properties of sequentially grown alloy-free 2D monolayer WSe2 -MoS2 lateral p-n heterojunction are explores. The PV devices show an extraordinary power conversion efficiency of 2.56% under AM 1.5G illumination. The large surface active area enables the full exposure of the depletion region, leading to excellent omnidirectional light harvesting characteristic with only 5% reduction of efficiency at incident angles up to 75°. Modeling studies demonstrate the PV devices comply with typical principles, increasing the feasibility for further development. Furthermore, the appropriate electrode-spacing design can lead to environment-independent PV properties. These robust PV properties deriving from the atomically sharp lateral p-n interface can help develop the next-generation photovoltaics.

4-Gbit/s visible light communication link based on 16-QAM OFDM transmission over remote phosphor-film converted white light by using blue laser diode

Visible Light Communication (VLC) as a new technology for ultrahigh-speed communication is still limited when using slow modulation light-emitting diode (LED). Alternatively, we present a 4-Gbit/s VLC system using coherent blue-laser diode (LD) via 16-quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. By changing the composition and the optical-configuration of a remote phosphor-film the generated white light is tuned from cool day to neutral, and the bit error rate is optimized from 1.9 × 10(-2) to 2.8 × 10(-5) in a blue filter-free link due to enhanced blue light transmission in forward direction. Briefly, blue-LD is an alternative to LED for generating white light and boosting the data rate of VLC.

Inkjet-printed transparent nanowire thin film features for UV photodetectors

In this study, a simple and effective direct printing method was developed to print patterned nanowire thin films for UV detection. Inks containing silver or titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanowires were first formulated adequately to form stable suspension for inkjet printing applications. Sedimentation tests were also carried out to characterize the terminal velocity and dispersion stability of nanowires to avoid potential nozzle clogging problems. The well-dispersed silver nanowire ink was then inkjet printed on PET films to form patterned electrodes. Above the electrodes, another layer of TiO2 nanowires was also printed to create a highly transparent photodetector with >80% visible transmittance. The printed photodetector showed a fairly low dark current of 10−12–10−14 A with a high on/off ratio of 2000 to UV radiation. Under a bias voltage of 2 V, the detector showed fast responses to UV illumination with a rise time of 0.4 s and a recovery time of 0.1 s. More photo currents can also be collected with a larger printed electrode area. In summary, this study shows the feasibility of applying inkjet printing technology to create nanowire thin films with specific patterns, and can be further employed for photoelectric applications.

A Fully Transparent Resistive Memory for Harsh Environments.

A fully transparent resistive memory (TRRAM) based on Hafnium oxide (HfO2) with excellent transparency, resistive switching capability, and environmental stability is demonstrated. The retention time measured at 85 °C is over 3 × 104 sec, and no significant degradation is observed in 130 cycling test. Compared with ZnO TRRAM, HfO2 TRRAM shows reliable performance under harsh conditions, such as high oxygen partial pressure, high moisture (relative humidity = 90% at 85 °C), corrosive agent exposure, and proton irradiation. Moreover, HfO2 TRRAM fabricated in cross-bar array structures manifests the feasibility of future high density memory applications. These findings not only pave the way for future TRRAM design, but also demonstrate the promising applicability of HfO2 TRRAM for harsh environments.

Effect of ultraviolet illumination on metal oxide resistive memory

We investigate the photoelectrical and resistive switching properties of Pt/ZnO/Pt capacitor operated in unipolar mode under ultraviolet (UV) illumination. The oxygen photodesorption under UV illumination explains the photoconduction observed in initial and high resistance states. Meanwhile, oxygen readsorption at surface-related defects justifies the different photoresponses dynamics in both states. Finally, UV illumination significantly reduces the variations of resistance in high resistance state, set voltage and reset voltage by 58%, 33%, and 25%, respectively, stabilizing Pt/ZnO/Pt capacitor. Our findings in improved switching uniformity via UV light give physical insight into designing resistive memory devices.