Y. Rosenwaks

Why Lead Methylammonium Tri-Iodide Perovskite-Based Solar Cells Require a Mesoporous Electron Transporting Scaffold (but Not Necessarily a Hole Conductor)

CH3NH3PbI3-based solar cells were characterized with electron beam-induced current (EBIC) and compared to CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Clx ones. A spatial map of charge separation efficiency in working cells shows p-i-n structures for both thin film cells. Effective diffusion lengths, LD, (from EBIC profile) show that holes are extracted significantly more efficiently than electrons in CH3NH3PbI3, explaining why CH3NH3PbI3-based cells require mesoporous electron conductors, while CH3NH3PbI(3-Clx ones, where LD values are comparable for both charge types, do not.

Submicron ferroelectric domain structures tailored by high-voltage scanning probe microscopy

We have developed a high voltage atomic force microscope that allowed us to tailor submicrometer ferroelectric domains in bulk ferroelectrics. One- and two-dimensional domain configurations have been fabricated in LiNbO3, RbTiOPO4, and RbTiOAsO4 ferroelectric crystals. It is found that the application of superhigh electric fields (reaching 5×107 V/cm) by the atomic force microscope tip leads to a unique polarization reversal mechanism, and open the way to a technology for photonic and acoustic devices.

Measurement of Active Dopant Distribution and Diffusion in Individual Silicon Nanowires

We have measured the radial distribution and diffusion of active dopant atoms in individual silicon nanowires grown by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method. Our method is based on successive surface etching of a portion of a contacted nanowire, followed by measurement of the potential difference between the etched and unetched areas using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). The radial dopant distribution is obtained by fitting the measured potentials with a three-dimensional solution of Poisson equation. We find that the radial active dopant distribution decreases by almost 2 orders of magnitude from the wire surface to its core even when there is no indication for tapering. In addition, the dopant profile is consistent with a very large diffusion coefficient of D approximately 1 x 10(-19) m(2) s(-1). This implies that phosphorus (P) diffusion during the VLS growth is remarkably high and subsequent thermal annealing must be used when a homogeneous dopant distribution is required.

Nonuniform doping distribution along silicon nanowires measured by Kelvin probe force microscopy and scanning photocurrent microscopy

We use Kelvin probe force microscopy and scanning photocurrent microscopy to measure the doping distribution along single phosphorous-doped silicon nanowire grown by the vapor-liquid-solid method. A nonlinear potential drop along biased silicon nanowires is detected both by measuring the surface potential directly via Kelvin probe force microscopy and by integrating the photocurrent measured by scanning photocurrent microscopy. These variations in the potential and field are further analyzed to extract the longitudinal dopant distribution along an individual silicon nanowire. The results show a very good agreement between the two methods to quantitatively detect potential, field, and doping variations within doped silicon nanowires.

Reconstruction of electrostatic force microscopy images

An efficient algorithm to restore the actual surface potential image from Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements of semiconductors is presented. The three-dimensional potential of the tip-sample system is calculated using an integral equation-based boundary element method combined with modeling the semiconductor by an equivalent dipole-layer and image-charge model. The derived point spread function of the measuring tip is then used to restore the actual surface potential from the measured image, using noise filtration and deconvolution algorithms. The model is then used to restore high-resolution Kelvin probe microscopy images of semiconductor surfaces.

Obtaining Uniform Dopant Distributions in VLS-Grown Si Nanowires

Semiconducting nanowires grown by the vapor-liquid-solid method commonly develop nonuniform doping profiles both along the growth axis and radially due to unintentional surface doping and diffusion of the dopants from the nanowire surface to core during synthesis. We demonstrate two approaches to mitigate nonuniform doping in phosphorus-doped Si nanowires grown by the vapor-liquid-solid process. First, the growth conditions can be modified to suppress active surface doping. Second, thermal annealing following growth can be used to produce more uniform doping profiles. Kelvin probe force microscopy and scanning photocurrent microscopy were used to measure the radial and the longitudinal active dopant distribution, respectively. Doping concentration variations were reduced by 2 orders of magnitude in both annealed nanowires and those for which surface doping was suppressed.

POTENTIAL IMAGING OF OPERATING LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICES USING KELVIN FORCE MICROSCOPY

We report on the measurements of two-dimensional potential distribution with nanometer spatial resolution of operating light-emitting diodes. By measuring the contact potential difference between an atomic force microscope tip and the cleaved surface of the light emitting diode, we were able to measure the device potential distribution under different applied external bias. It is shown that the junction built-in voltage at the surface decreases with increasing applied forward bias up to flatband conditions, and then inverted. It is found that the potential distribution is governed by self-absorption of the sub-band-gap diode emission.

Dynamics of ferroelectric domain growth in the field of atomic force microscope

Application of very high voltage to atomic force microscope tip leads to the growth of narrow, stringlike domains in some ferroelectrics, a phenomenon that was named “ferroelectric domain breakdown.” In this work the dynamics of domain breakdown have been studied experimentally and theoretically in stoichiometric lithium niobate (LN). The theory has been found to be in a good agreement with the measured domain radius temporal dependence. Dynamics of domain growth has also been studied in ultrathin LN crystals, where the domain breakdown phenomenon does not take place. It is also shown that domain formation processes occurring in bulk and ultrathin crystals are very different, and this is ascribed to the observed difference in depolarization energy dependence on the domain length.

Ferroelectric domain inversion: The role of humidity

The authors report on the effect of ambient humidity on domain inversion in ferroelectrics using atomic force microscopy. It is shown that the size of single domains inverted under low humidity in stoichiometric lithium tantalate single crystals is much smaller relative to ambient conditions. These differences are due to the much smaller tip-sample capacitance under low humidity. This phenomenon paves the way for the use of atomic force microscopy to tailor various nanodomain configurations for nonlinear optical applications.

Kelvin probe force microscopy on III–V semiconductors: the effect of surface defects on the local work function

Abstract The application of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) in ultra high vacuum (UHV) allows to determine the absolute work function of surfaces with a very high energy (