Min-A Kang

Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Hybrid Thin Film for Transparent Electrodes and Field Effect Transistors

S. H. Kim, [+] Dr. W. Song, [+] M. W. Jung, M.-A. Kang, K. Kim, Dr. S. S. Lee, Dr. J. Lim, Dr. S. Myung, Dr. K.-S. An Thin Film Materials Research Group Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) Yuseong Post Offi ce Box 107 Daejeon 305-600 , Republic of Korea E-mail: msung@krict.re.kr Dr. S.-J. Chang Department of Chemistry Chung-Ang University 84 Heukseok-ro , Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756 , Korea Prof. J. Hwang Department of Materials Science and Engineering Hongik University Seoul 121-791 , Republic of Korea

High-mobility ambipolar ZnO-graphene hybrid thin film transistors

In order to combine advantages of ZnO thin film transistors (TFTs) with a high on-off ratio and graphene TFTs with extremely high carrier mobility, we present a facile methodology for fabricating ZnO thin film/graphene hybrid two-dimensional TFTs. Hybrid TFTs exhibited ambipolar behavior, an outstanding electron mobility of 329.7 ± 16.9 cm2/V·s, and a high on-off ratio of 105. The ambipolar behavior of the ZnO/graphene hybrid TFT with high electron mobility could be due to the superimposed density of states involving the donor states in the bandgap of ZnO thin films and the linear dispersion of monolayer graphene. We further established an applicable circuit model for understanding the improvement in carrier mobility of ZnO/graphene hybrid TFTs.

Novel Fabrication of Flexible Graphene-Based Chemical Sensors with Heaters using Soft Lithographic Patterning Method

We have fabricated graphene-based chemical sensors with flexible heaters for the highly sensitive detection of specific gases. We believe that increasing the temperature of the graphene surface significantly enhanced the electrical signal change of the graphene-based channel, and reduced the recovery time needed to obtain a normal state of equilibrium. In addition, a simple and efficient soft lithographic patterning process was developed via surface energy modification for advanced, graphene-based flexible devices, such as gas sensors. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated the high sensitivity of NO2 gas sensors based on graphene nanosheets. These devices were fabricated using a simple soft-lithographic patterning method, where flexible graphene heaters adjacent to the channel of sensing graphene were utilized to control graphene temperature.

Electrical Double Layer Capacitance in a Graphene-embedded Al2O3 Gate Dielectric.

Graphene heterostructures are of considerable interest as a new class of electronic devices with exceptional performance in a broad range of applications has been realized. Here, we propose a graphene-embedded Al2O3 gate dielectric with a relatively high dielectric constant of 15.5, which is about 2 times that of Al2O3, having a low leakage current with insertion of tri-layer graphene. In this system, the enhanced capacitance of the hybrid structure can be understood by the formation of a space charge layer at the graphene/Al2O3 interface. The electrical properties of the interface can be further explained by the electrical double layer (EDL) model dominated by the diffuse layer.

Direct Determination of Field Emission across the Heterojunctions in a ZnO/Graphene Thin-Film Barristor

Graphene barristors are a novel type of electronic switching device with excellent performance, which surpass the low on-off ratios that limit the operation of conventional graphene transistors. In barristors, a gate bias is used to vary graphenes Fermi level, which in turn controls the height and resistance of a Schottky barrier at a graphene/semiconductor heterojunction. Here we demonstrate that the switching characteristic of a thin-film ZnO/graphene device with simple geometry results from tunneling current across the Schottky barriers formed at the ZnO/graphene heterojunctions. Direct characterization of the current-voltage-temperature relationship of the heterojunctions by ac-impedance spectroscopy reveals that this relationship is controlled predominantly by field emission, unlike most graphene barristors in which thermionic emission is observed. This governing mechanism makes the device unique among graphene barristors, while also having the advantages of simple fabrication and outstanding performance.

Large-scale Growth and Simultaneous Doping of Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets.

A facile method that uses chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for the simultaneous growth and doping of large-scale molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets was developed. We employed metalloporphyrin as a seeding promoter layer for the uniform growth of MoS2 nanosheets. Here, a hybrid deposition system that combines thermal evaporation and atomic layer deposition (ALD) was utilized to prepare the promoter. The doping effect of the promoter was verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. In addition, the carrier density of the MoS2 nanosheets was manipulated by adjusting the thickness of the metalloporphyrin promoter layers, which allowed the electrical conductivity in MoS2 to be manipulated.

Strain-Gradient Effect in Gas Sensors Based on Three-Dimensional Hollow Molybdenum Disulfide Nanoflakes

A novel three-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) structure consisting of seamless hollow nanoflakes on two-dimensional basal layers was synthesized by a one-step chemical vapor deposition method. Here, we demonstrate that the as-grown nanoflakes are formed on an organic promoter layer which served as a positive template and are swollen at the grain boundaries by the bubbling effect. TMD nanosheets with hollow nanoflakes are successfully applied as chemical sensors, and it was found that their gas adsorption property is strongly related to the internal strain gradient resulting from the variation in the lattice parameter. This result is consistent with the theoretical prediction in previous studies. Our chemical vapor deposition-based approach is an efficient way to generate TMD-based nanostructures over a large surface area for various practical applications such as chemical sensors.

Graphene growth from reduced graphene oxide by chemical vapour deposition: seeded growth accompanied by restoration.

Understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in graphene growth via chemical vapour deposition (CVD) is critical for precise control of the characteristics of graphene. Despite much effort, the actual processes behind graphene synthesis still remain to be elucidated in a large number of aspects. Herein, we report the evolution of graphene properties during in-plane growth of graphene from reduced graphene oxide (RGO) on copper (Cu) via methane CVD. While graphene is laterally grown from RGO flakes on Cu foils up to a few hundred nanometres during CVD process, it shows appreciable improvement in structural quality. The monotonous enhancement of the structural quality of the graphene with increasing length of the graphene growth from RGO suggests that seeded CVD growth of graphene from RGO on Cu surface is accompanied by the restoration of graphitic structure. The finding provides insight into graphene growth and defect reconstruction useful for the production of tailored carbon nanostructures with required properties.

Fabrication of high-performance flexible photodetectors based on Zn-doped MoS2/graphene hybrid fibers

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten diselenide (WSe2), have recently attracted attention due to their applicability as building blocks for fabricating advanced functional materials. In this study, a novel method for synthesizing hybrid materials based on flexible graphene fibers and 2D TMD nanosheets was demonstrated by using chemical vapor deposition. An organic promoter layer was employed for the large-scale growth of the TMD sheet, and the subsequent metalation process of the promoter layer was carried out to modulate the electrical properties of the TMD layers on graphene fibers. As a proof of concept, fiber-type photodetectors based on graphene fibers and 2D TMD nanosheets were successfully fabricated and investigated; they showed a high photoresponsivity of 5.73 A W−1. Our novel approach is a promising effective method for the fabrication of fiber-type photodetectors with a new structure for application in TMD-based transparent and flexible optoelectronic devices.

AC-Impedance Spectroscopic Analysis on the Charge Transport in CVD-Grown Graphene Devices with Chemically Modified Substrates

A comprehensive study for the effect of interfacial buffer layers on the electrical transport behavior in CVD-grown graphene based devices has been performed by ac-impedance spectroscopy (IS) analysis. We examine the effects of the trap charges at graphene/SiO2 interface on the total capacitance by introducing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Furthermore, the charge transports in the polycrystalline graphene are characterized through the temperature-dependent IS measurement, which can be explained by the potential barrier model. The frequency-dependent conduction reveals that the conductivity of graphene is related with the mobility, which is limited by the scattering caused by charged adsorbates on SiO2 surface.