M. Oueslati

Direct transfer and Raman characterization of twisted graphene bilayer

Twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) is constituted of a two-graphene layer with a mismatch angle θ between the two hexagonal structures. It has recently attracted much attention—thanks to its diverse electronic and optical properties. Here, we study the tBLG fabricated by the direct transfer of graphene monolayer prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) onto another CVD graphene layer remaining attached to the copper foil. We show that high quality and homogeneous tBLG can be obtained by the direct transfer which prevents interface contamination. In this situation, the top graphene layer plays a supporting mechanical role to the bottom graphene layer as confirmed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The effect of annealing tBLG was also investigated using micro-Raman spectroscopy. The Raman spectra exhibit a splitting of the G peak as well as a change in the 2D band shape indicating a possible decoupling of the two monolayers. We attribute these changes to the different interactions of the top and bottom layers with the substrate.

Graphene-capped InAs/GaAs quantum dots

Graphene was grown by chemical vapor deposition and successfully transferred onto InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a (001) GaAs substrate. To our knowledge, the hybrid structure of graphene replacing the conventional GaAs layer as a cap layer has not been explored until now. In this work, the authors present the photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy study of InAs/GaAs graphene-capped QDs. The Raman measurements show an intense 2D peak at 2704 cm−1 which is the main characteristic indicating the presence of graphene. The recorded PL at temperature T = 300 K shows two sharp peaks located at 1.177 and 1.191 eV, which is attributed to radiative emission from the quantum dots. These peaks, which are generally very weak in InAs/GaAs quantum dots at this temperature, are instead very intense. The enhancement of the PL emission evidenced electron transfer from the graphene layer to the QDs.

The ratio Oxygen/Zinc effect on photoluminescence emission line at 3.31 eV in ZnO nanowires

We have studied the photoluminescence emission line at 3.31 eV in ZnO nanowires. In undoped ZnO, this band strongly depends on high oxygen concentration and could originate from recombination of bound-exciton complex related to structural defects. Conversely, in doped ones, the photoluminescence emission appears notably at a low VI/II ratio and with the emergence of donor-acceptor pair emission due to the presence of α-No nitrogen complex, which acts as a shallow acceptor in ZnO. We found that this band corresponds to 3LO, the third phonon replica of resonant Raman scattering. Furthermore, a remarkable variation is detected in a number of resonant Raman scattering multiphonons.

Improvement of the quality of graphene-capped InAs/GaAs quantum dots

In this paper, we study the transfer of graphene onto InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs). The graphene is first grown on Cu foils by chemical vapor deposition and then polymer Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) is deposited on the top of graphene/Cu. High quality graphene sheet has been obtained by lowering the dissolving rate of PMMA using vapor processing. Uncapped as well as capped graphene InAs/GaAs QDs have been studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. We gather from this that the average shifts Δω of QDs Raman peaks are reduced compared to those previously observed in graphene and GaAs capped QDs. The encapsulation by graphene makes the indium atomic concentration intact in the QDs by the reduction of the strain effect of graphene on QDs and the migration of In atoms towards the surface. This gives us a new hetero-structure graphene–InAs/GaAs QDs wherein the graphene plays a key role as a cap layer.

Zinc blende-oxide phase transformation upon oxygen annealing of ZnSe shell in ZnO-ZnSe core-shell nanowires

ZnO-ZnSe core-shell nanowires have been grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition and subsequently annealed in an O2 atmosphere. It has been found that the incorporation of oxygen into the ZnSe shell over the 470–580 °C temperature range results in a phase transformation from zinc Blende to orthorhombic and wurtzite. The X-ray diffraction pattern confirms that the heterostructures are composed of a wurtzite ZnO core and an oxide ZnSeO shell. The Raman spectroscopy study shows the appearance of additional peaks at 220 cm−1, 278 cm−1, 480 cm−1, 550 cm−1, and 568 cm−1, which reveal a phase transformation associated with the incorporation of the oxygen into the shell after annealing at 470 °C. This work opens a way to study the structure stability of ZnO-ZnSe core-shell nanowire production and help to understand the mechanisms of the oxidation in ZnO-ZnSe core-shell nanowires.

Spin transitions in La0.7 Ba0.3CoO3 thin films revealed by combining Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction

In cobaltite, the spin states transitions of Co3þ/4þ ions govern the magnetic and electronic conduction properties. These transitions are strain-sensitive and can be varied using external parameters, including temperature, hydrostatic pressure, or chemical stresses through ionic substitutions. In this work, using temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, the epitaxial strain effects on both structural and vibrational properties of La0.7 Ba0.3 CoO3 (LBCO) cobaltite thin films are investigated. All Raman active phonon modes as well as the structure are found to be strongly affected. Both Raman modes and lattice parameter evolutions show temperature changes correlated with magnetic and electronic transitions properties. Combining Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction appears as a powerful approach to probe the spin transition in thin film cobaltite. Our results provide insight into strong spin-charge-phonon coupling in LBCO thin film. This coupling manifests as vibrational transition with temperature in the Raman spectra near the ferromagnetic spin ordered transition at 220K.

Activation of B1 silent Raman modes and its potential origin as source for phonon-assisted replicas in photoluminescence response in N-doped ZnO nanowires

ZnO nanowires are grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition using two different zinc precursors, i.e., dimethylzinc-triethylamine which contains nitrogen, and diethylzinc which does not. The growth conditions are varied using different oxygen/zinc pressure ratios (RO/Zn). Temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy shows that the additional Raman modes are related to B1 modes which are activated because of translational symmetry breaking resulting from the nitrogen substitution on oxygen sites and/or Zn-O bond breaking caused by complex defects. Simultaneously, the antiparallel atomic displacements which are at the origin of B1 phonon vibrations are no more compensated, allowing B1 modes to acquire a polar character. The resulting polar phonons, and especially B12 located at 580 cm−1 (i.e., 72 meV), are therefore believed to strongly couple to photogenerated electrons through a Frohlich mechanism and could lead or contribute to the phonon-assisted replicas observed in the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. Finally, we also discuss the possible defects involved in the Raman and PL responses including native donor and acceptor defects and their interaction with the N-dopant, depending on the growth conditions.ZnO nanowires are grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition using two different zinc precursors, i.e., dimethylzinc-triethylamine which contains nitrogen, and diethylzinc which does not. The growth conditions are varied using different oxygen/zinc pressure ratios (RO/Zn). Temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy shows that the additional Raman modes are related to B1 modes which are activated because of translational symmetry breaking resulting from the nitrogen substitution on oxygen sites and/or Zn-O bond breaking caused by complex defects. Simultaneously, the antiparallel atomic displacements which are at the origin of B1 phonon vibrations are no more compensated, allowing B1 modes to acquire a polar character. The resulting polar phonons, and especially B12 located at 580 cm−1 (i.e., 72 meV), are therefore believed to strongly couple to photogenerated electrons through a Frohlich mechanism and could lead or contribute to the phonon-assisted replicas observed in the photoluminescence (PL) spectr...