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Recent achievements in the field of gate defined semiconductor quantum dots reinforce the concept of a spin-based quantum computer consisting of nodes of locally connected qubits which communicate with each other via superconducting circuit resonator photons. In this work we theoretically demonstrate a versatile set of quantum gates between adjacent spin qubits defined in semiconductor quantum dots situated within the same node of such a spin-based quantum computer. The electric dipole acquired by the spin of an electron that moves across a double quantum dot potential in a magnetic field gradient has enabled strong coupling to resonator photons and low-power spin control. Here we show that this flopping-mode spin qubit also provides with the tunability to program multiple two-qubit gates. Since the capacitive coupling between these qubits brings about additional dephasing, we calculate the estimated infidelity of different two-qubit gates in the most immediate possible experimental realizations., 6 pages, 5 figures + 3 pages of supplemental material

Among the parameters determining the efficiency of an organic solar cell, the open-circuit voltage ($V_\text{OC}$) is the one with most room for improvement. Existing models for the description of $V_\text{OC}$ assume that photogenerated charge carriers are thermalized. Here, we demonstrate that quasi-equilibrium concepts cannot fully describe $V_\text{OC}$ of disordered organic devices. For two representative donor:acceptor blends it is shown that $V_\text{OC}$ is actually 0.1-0.2 V higher than it would be if the system was in thermodynamic equilibrium. Extensive numerical modeling reveals that the excess energy is mainly due to incomplete relaxation in the disorder-broadened density of states. These findings indicate that organic solar cells work as nonequilibrium devices, in which part of the photon excess energy is harvested in the form of an enhanced $V_\text{OC}$., Comment: Final version; title changed; journal reference added

In order to efficiently explore the nearly infinite composition space in multicomponent solid solution alloys for reaching higher mechanical performance, it is important to establish predictive design strategies using computation-aided methods. Here, using ab initio calculations we systematically study the effects of magnetism and chemical composition on the generalized stacking fault energy surface (γ-surface) of Cr-Co-Ni medium entropy alloys and show that both chemistry and the coupled magnetic state strongly affect the γ-surface, consequently, the primary deformation modes. The relations among various stable and unstable stacking fault energies are revealed and discussed. The present findings are useful for studying the deformation behaviors of Cr-Co-Ni alloys and facilitate a density functional theory based design of transformation-induced plasticity and twinning-induced plasticity mechanisms in Cr-Co-Ni alloys.

We present measurements of the magnetic torque, specific heat and thermal expansion of the bulk transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) superconductor NbS2 in high magnetic fields, with its layer structure aligned strictly parallel to the field using a piezo rotary positioner. The upper critical field of superconducting TMDs in the 2D form is known to be dramatically enhanced by a special form of Ising spin orbit coupling. This Ising superconductivity is very robust to the Pauli paramagnetic effect and can therefore exist beyond the Pauli limit for superconductivity. We find that superconductivity beyond the Pauli limit still exists in bulk single crystals of NbS2 for a precisely parallel field alignment. However, the comparison of our upper critical field transition line with numerical simulations rather points to the development of a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state above the Pauli limit as a cause. This is also consistent with the observation of a magnetic field driven phase transition in the thermodynamic quantities within the superconducting state near the Pauli limit. © 2021, The Author(s). We thank U. Lampe for technical support. This work was supported by grants from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (GRF-16302018, GRF-16303820, C6025-19G-A, SBI17SC14). M.A.-H. acknowledges the financial support from the Swedish Research Council (VR) under the project no. 2018-05393 and by the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA). M.A.-H and D.C. acknowledge the financial support by the Megagrant 2020-220-08-6358 of the Government Council on Grants of the Russian Federation.

Chemical state analysis in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) relies on assigning well-defined binding energy values to core level electrons originating from atoms in particular bonding configurations. Here, we present direct evidence for the violation of this paradigm. It is shown that the C 1s peak due to C-C/C-H bonded atoms from adventitious carbon (AdC) layers accumulating on Al and Au foils splits into two distinctly different contributions, as a result of vacuum level alignment at the AdC/foil interface. The phenomenon is observed while simultaneously recording the spectrum from two metal foils in electric contact with each other. This finding exposes fundamental problems with the reliability of reported XPS data as C 1s peak of AdC is routinely used for binding energy scale referencing. The use of adventitious carbon in XPS should thus be discontinued as it leads to nonsense results. Consequently, ISO and ASTM charge referencing guides need to be rewritten. Funding Agencies|Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW2016.0358]; Swedish Research Council VR Grant [2018-03957]; Swedish Energy AgencySwedish Energy Agency [51201-1]; VINNOVAVinnova [2019-04882]; Carl Tryggers Stiftelse [CTS 17:166, CTS 15:219, CTS 14:431]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009-00971]

Structural defects vary the optoelectronic properties of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides, leading to concerted efforts to control defect type and density via materials growth or postgrowth passivation. Here, we explore a simple chemical treatment that allows on-off switching of low-lying, defect-localized exciton states, leading to tunable emission properties. Using steady-state and ultrafast optical spectroscopy, supported by ab initio calculations, we show that passivation of sulfur vacancy defects, which act as exciton traps in monolayer MoS2 and WS2, allows for controllable and improved mobilities and an increase in photoluminescence up to 275-fold, more than twice the value achieved by other chemical treatments. Our findings suggest a route for simple and rational defect engineering strategies for tunable and switchable electronic and excitonic properties through passivation.

Subtle changes in stacking order of layered transition metal dichalcogenides may have profound influence on the electronic and optical properties. The intriguing electronic properties of Td-WTe2 can be traced to the break of inversion symmetry resulting from the ground-state stacking sequence. Strategies for perturbation of the stacking order are actively pursued for intentional tuning of material properties, where optical excitation is of specific interest since it holds the potential for integration of ultrafast switches in future device designs. Here we investigate the structural response in Td-WTe2 following ultrafast photoexcitation by time-resolved electron diffraction. A 0.23 THz shear phonon, involving layer displacement along the b axis, was excited by a 515 nm laser pulse. Pump fluences in excess of a threshold of similar to 1 mJ/cm(2) result in formation, with an similar to 5 ps time constant, of a new stacking order by layer displacement along the b axis in the direction toward the centrosymmetric 1T* phase. The shear displacement of the layers increases with pump fluence until saturation at similar to 8 pm. We demonstrate that the excitation of the shear phonon and the stabilization of the metastable phase are decoupled when using an optical pump as evidenced by observation of a transition also in samples with a pinned shear phonon. The results are compared to dynamic first-principles simulations and the transition is interpreted in terms of a mechanism where transient local disorder is prominent before settling at the atomic positions of the metastable phase. This interpretation is corroborated by results from diffuse scattering. The correlation between excitation of intralayer vibrations and interlayer interaction demonstrates the importance of including both short- and long-range interactions in an accurate description of how optical fields can be employed to manipulate the stacking order in 2-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides.

In this work, we demonstrate the application of terahertz-optical Hall effect (THz-OHE) to determine directionally dependent free charge carrier properties of ambient-doped monolayer and quasi-freestanding-bilayer epitaxial graphene on 4H-SiC(0001). Directionally independent free hole mobility parameters are found for the monolayer graphene. In contrast, anisotropic hole mobility parameters with a lower mobility in direction perpendicular to the SiC surface steps and higher along the steps in quasifree-standing-bilayer graphene are determined for the first time. A combination of THz-OHE, nanoscale microscopy and optical spectroscopy techniques are used to investigate the origin of the anisotropy. Different defect densities and different number of graphene layers on the step edges and terraces are ruled out as possible causes. Scattering mechanisms related to doping variations at the step edges and terraces as a result of different interaction with the substrate and environment are discussed and also excluded. It is suggested that the step edges introduce intrinsic scattering in quasi-free-standing-bilayer graphene, that is manifested as a result of the higher ratio between mean free path and average terrace width parameters. The suggested scenario allows to reconcile existing differences in the literature regarding the anisotropic electrical transport in epitaxial graphene. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council VRSwedish Research Council [2016-00889, 2016-05362]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research [FL120181, RIF14-055, GMT14-0077, RMA15024]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Link_oping University, Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU [2009-00971]; National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [DMR 1808715]; Air Force Office of Scientific ResearchUnited States Department of DefenseAir Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) [FA9550-18-1-0360]; Nebraska Materials Research Science and Engineering Center [DMR 1420645]; European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [696656, 785219]; University of Nebraska Foundation; J. A. Woollam Foundation

Harmonic generation mechanisms are of great interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology, since they allow generating visible light by using near-infrared radiation, which is particularly suitable for its countless applications in bionanophotonics and optoelectronics. In this context, multilayer metal−dielectric nanocavities are widely used for light confinement and waveguiding at the nanoscale. They exhibit intense and localized resonances that can be conveniently tuned in the near-infrared and are therefore ideal for enhancing nonlinear effects in this spectral range. In this work, we experimentally investigate the nonlinear emission properties of multilayer metal−dielectric nanocavities. By engineering their absorption efficiency and exploiting their intrinsic interface-induced symmetry breaking, we achieve an almost 2 orders of magnitude higher second-harmonic generation efficiency compared to gold nanostructures featuring the same geometry and optical resonant behavior. In particular, while both the third-order nonlinear susceptibility and conversion efficiency are comparable with those of the Au nanoresonators, we estimate a second-order nonlinear susceptibility of the order of 1 pm/V, which is comparable with that of typical nonlinear crystals. We envision that our system, which combines the advantages of both plasmonic and dielectric materials, might enable the realization of composite and multifunctional nanosystems for the efficient manipulation of nonlinear optical processes at the nanoscale.

Ab initio simulations of a multi-component alloy using density functional theory (DFT) were combined with experiments on thin films of the same material using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to study the connection between the electronic and atomic structures of multi-component alloys. The DFT simulations were performed on an equimolar HfNbTiVZr multi-component alloy. Structure and charge transfer were evaluated using relaxed, non-relaxed, as well as elemental reference structures. The use of a fixed sphere size model allowed quantification of charge transfer, and separation into different contributions. The charge transfer was generally found to follow electronegativity trends and results in a reduced size mismatch between the elements, and thus causes a considerable reduction of the lattice distortions compared to a traditional assumption based on tabulated atomic radii. A calculation of the average deviation from the average radius (i.e. the so-called delta-parameter) based on the atomic Voronoi volumes gave a reduction of delta from ca. 6% (using the volumes in elemental reference phases) to ca. 2% (using the volumes in the relaxed multi-component alloy phase). The reliability of the theoretical results was confirmed by XPS measurements of a Hf22Nb19Ti18V19Zr21 thin film deposited by sputter deposition. The experimentally observed core level binding energy shifts (CLS), as well as peak broadening due to a range of chemical surroundings, for each element showed good agreement with the calculated DFT values. The single solid solution phase of the sample was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) including energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) with nm-resolution. These observations show that the HfNbTiVZr solid solution phase is non-ideal, and that chemical bonding plays an important part in the structure formation, and presumably also in the properties. Our conclusions should be transferable to other multi-component alloy systems, as well as some other multi-component material systems, and open up interesting possibilities for the design of material properties via the electronic structure and controlled charge transfer between selected metallic elements in the materials. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council (VR)Swedish Research Council [2018-04834, 2019-05403, 2018-05973, 2019-05487]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University; Faculty Grant SFO at LiU [2009 00971]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (Wallenberg Scholar Grant) [KAW-2018.0194]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research through the Future Research Leaders 6 program [FFL 15-0290]; RFBRRussian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) [20-02-00178]; Swedish e-Science Research Centre (SeRC)

The quest to improve the density, speed and energy efficiency of magnetic memory storage has led to the exploration of new ways of optically manipulating magnetism at the ultrafast time scale, in particular in ferrimagnetic alloys. While all-optical magnetization switching is well-established on the femtosecond timescale, lateral nanoscale confinement and thus the potential significant reduction of the size of the magnetic element remains an outstanding challenge. Here we employ resonant electromagnetic energy funneling through plasmon nanoantennas to influence the demagnetization dynamics of a ferrimagnetic TbCo alloy thin film. We demonstrate how Ag nanoring-shaped antennas under resonant optical femtosecond pumping reduce the overall demagnetization in the underlying films up to three times compared to non-resonant illumination. We attribute such a substantial reduction to the nanoscale confinement of the demagnetization process. This is qualitatively supported by the electromagnetic simulations that strongly evidence the resonant optical energy-funneling to the nanoscale from the nanoantennas into the ferrimagnetic film. This observation is an important step for reaching deterministic ultrafast all-optical magnetization switching at the nanoscale in such systems, opening a route to develop nanoscale ultrafast magneto-optics., Bottom-up produced optical ring-shaped Ag nanoantennas efficiently funnel electromagnetic field of a femtosecond-pulsed laser light into a ferrimagnetic TbCo nanofilm at plasmon resonance. This leads to the TbCo demagnetization at the nanoscale.

The evolution of the electronic structure and optical transition upon n-doping of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) films is elucidated with photoelectron spectroscopy, optical absorption, density functional theory (DFT), and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations. Optical absorption measurements extending into near infrared show two low-energy absorption features at low doping ratios and an additional peak at a higher energy of similar to 2.2 eV that disappears with increasing doping ratios. A gap state (i.e., polaronic state) close to the Fermi level and a significantly destabilized highest valence band appear in the experimentally measured ultraviolet photoelectron spectra. These experimental results are interpreted by the TD-DFT calculations, which show that the lower energy peaks originate from the excitation from polaronic states to the conduction band, while the higher energy peak mainly originates from the destabilized valence band to conduction band transitions and only appears at low doping ratios (c(red) Funding Agencies|Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation project "Tail of the Sun"; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research [SE13-0060]; Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research CouncilEuropean Commission [2016-05498, 2016-05990]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [2009 00971]

Heterointerfaces coupling complex oxides exhibit coexisting functional properties such as magnetism, superconductivity, and ferroelectricity, often absent in their individual constituent. SrTiO3 (STO), a canonical band insulator, is an active constituent of such heterointerfaces. Temperature-, strain-, or mechanical stress-induced ferroelastic transition leads to the formation of narrow domains and domain walls in STO. Such ferroelastic domain walls have been studied using imaging or transport techniques and, often, the findings are influenced by the choice and interaction of the electrodes with STO. In this work, we use graphene as a unique platform to unveil the movement of oxygen vacancies and ferroelastic domain walls near the STO surface by studying the temperature and gate bias dependence of charge transport in graphene. By sweeping the back gate voltage, we observe antihysteresis in graphene typically observed in conventional ferroelectric oxides. Interestingly, we find features in antihysteresis that are related to the movement of domain walls and of oxygen vacancies in STO. We ascertain this by analyzing the time dependence of the graphene square resistance at different temperatures and gate bias. Density functional calculations estimate the surface polarization and formation energies of layer-dependent oxygen vacancies in STO. This corroborates quantitatively with the activation energies determined from the temperature dependence of the graphene square resistance. Introduction of a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) layer, of varying thicknesses, between graphene and STO leads to a gradual disappearance of the observed features, implying the influence of the domain walls onto the potential landscape in graphene.

Sensor technology has become increasingly crucial in medical research and clinical diagnostics to directly detect small numbers of low-molecular-weight biomolecules relevant for lethal diseases. In recent years, various technologies have been developed, a number of them becoming core label-free technologies for detection of cancer biomarkers and viruses. However, to radically improve early disease diagnostics, tracking of disease progression and evaluation of treatments, today’s biosensing techniques still require a radical innovation to deliver high sensitivity, specificity, diffusion-limited transport, and accuracy for both nucleic acids and proteins. In this review, we discuss both scientific and technological aspects of hyperbolic dispersion metasurfaces for molecular biosensing. Optical metasurfaces have offered the tantalizing opportunity to engineer wavefronts while its intrinsic nanoscale patterns promote tremendous molecular interactions and selective binding. Hyperbolic dispersion metasurfaces support high-k modes that proved to be extremely sensitive to minute concentrations of ultralow-molecular-weight proteins and nucleic acids.

In recent years, scientists have progressively recognized the role of electronic structures in the characterization of chemical properties for actinide containing materials. High-energy resolution X-ray spectroscopy at the actinide M4,5 edges emerged as a promising direction because this method can probe actinide properties at the atomic level through the possibility of reducing the experimental spectral width below the natural core-hole lifetime broadening. Parallel to the technical developments of the X-ray method and experimental discoveries, theoretical models, describing the observed electronic structure phenomena, have also advanced. In this feature article, we describe the latest progress in the field of high-energy resolution X-ray spectroscopy at the actinide M4,5 and ligand K edges and we show that the methods are able to (a) provide fingerprint information on the actinide oxidation state and ground state characters (b) probe 5f occupancy, non-stoichiometry, defects, and ligand/metal ratio and (c) investigate the local symmetry and effects of the crystal field. We discuss the chemical aspects of the electronic structure in terms familiar to chemists and materials scientists and conclude with a brief description of new opportunities and approaches to improve the experimental methodology and theoretical analysis for f-electron systems., More than 10 years have passed since the first uranium M4 HERFD and RIXS experiments in 2009. In this feature article, we describe the progress in actinide M4,5 HERFD and RIXS techniques for probing the actinide electronic structure.

Amorphous ice is commonly used as a noncrystalline matrix for protecting sensitive biological samples in cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The amorphization process of water is complex, and at least two amorphous states of different densities are known to exist, high- and low-density amorphous ices (HDA and LDA). These forms are considered to be the counterparts of two distinct liquid states, namely, high- and low-density liquid water. Herein, we investigate the HDA to LDA transition using electron diffraction and cryo-EM. The observed phase transition is induced by the impact of electrons, and we discuss two different mechanisms, namely, local heating and beam-induced motion of water molecules. The temperature increase is estimated by comparison with X-ray scattering experiments on identically prepared samples. Our results suggest that HDA, under the conditions used in our cryo-EM measurements, is locally heated above its glass-transition temperature.

Power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of solution-processed organic solar cells (OSCs) have recently reached 17.4% (certified) for single-junction devices. Crucial to this advancement is the development of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) since 2015. The recent A-DAD-A NFAs have attracted widespread attention because of their ladder-type electron-deficient-core-based central fused ring with improved transport properties and optimum energy levels. With the synergistic effect of electron-deficient-core and specific molecular geometry, the A-DADA molecules could achieve low voltage losses and high current generation at the same time, reaching new regimes of device physics and photophysics. This perspective will discuss the voltage losses in state-of-the-art A-DAD-A NFA-based OSCs and propose new molecular design strategies to achieve PCEs over 20% in OSCs based on these new acceptors by further decreasing their total voltage losses. Funding Agencies|National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [21875286]; National Key Research & Development Projects of China [2017YFA0206600]; Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Hunan ProvinceNational Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars [2017JJ1029]; Swedish Research Council VRSwedish Research Council [2018-06048]; Swedish Energy Agency EnergimyndighetenSwedish Energy Agency [2016-010174]; Stiftelsen For Strategisk Forskning through a Future Research Leader program [FFL18-0322]; NSERCNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Metal halide perovskites have demonstrated impressive properties for achieving efficient monochromatic light-emitting diodes. However, the development of white perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) remains a big challenge. Here, we demonstrate a single-emissive-layer all-perovskite white PeLED using a mixed halide perovskite film as the emissive layer. The perovskite film consists of separated mixed halide perovskite phases with blue and red emissions, which are beneficial for suppressing halide anion exchange and preventing charge transfer. As a result, the white PeLED shows balanced white light emission with Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage coordinates of (0.33, 0.33). In addition, we find that the achievement of white light emission from mixed halide perovskites strongly depends on effective modulation of the halide salt precursors, especially lead bromide and benzamidine hydrochloride in our case. Our work provides very useful guidelines for realizing single-emissive-layer all-perovskite white PeLEDs based on mixed halide perovskites, which will spur the development of high-performance white PeLEDs., We demonstrated a single-emissive-layer all-perovskite white light-emitting diode based on a mixed halide perovskite film.

A damping-like spin-orbit torque (SOT) is a prerequisite for ultralow-power spin logic devices. Here, we report on the damping-like SOT in just one monolayer of the conducting transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) TaS2 interfaced with a NiFe (Py) ferromagnetic layer. The charge-spin conversion efficiency is found to be 0.25 +/- 0.03 in TaS2(0.88)/Py(7), and the spin Hall conductivity (14.9 x 10(s) h/2e Omega(-1) m(-1) is found to be superior to values reported for other TMDs. We also observed sizable field-like torque in this heterostructure. The origin of this large damping-like SOT can be found in the interfacial properties of the TaS2/Py heterostructure, and the experimental findings are complemented by the results from density functional theory calculations. It is envisioned that the interplay between interfacial spinorbit coupling and crystal symmetry yielding large damping-like SOT. The dominance of damping-like torque demonstrated in our study provides a promising path for designing the next-generation conducting TMD-based low-powered quantum memory devices.

A material’s magnetic state and its dynamics are of great fundamental research interest and are also at the core of a wide plethora of modern technologies. However, reliable access to magnetization dynamics in materials and devices on the technologically relevant ultrafast timescale, and under realistic device-operation conditions, remains a challenge. Here, we demonstrate a method of ultrafast terahertz (THz) magnetometry, which gives direct access to the (sub-)picosecond magnetization dynamics even in encapsulated materials or devices in a contact-free fashion, in a fully calibrated manner, and under ambient conditions. As a showcase for this powerful method, we measure the ultrafast magnetization dynamics in a laser-excited encapsulated iron film. Our measurements reveal and disentangle distinct contributions originating from (i) incoherent hot-magnon-driven magnetization quenching and (ii) coherent acoustically-driven modulation of the exchange interaction in iron, paving the way to technologies utilizing ultrafast heat-free control of magnetism. High sensitivity and relative ease of experimental arrangement highlight the promise of ultrafast THz magnetometry for both fundamental studies and the technological applications of magnetism., Nature Communications, 11 (1), ISSN:2041-1723

We demonstrate a novel approach for non-destructive in-situ characterization of phase transitions of ultrathin nickel silicide films using 3D medium-energy ion scattering. The technique provides simultaneously composition and real-space crystallography of silicide films during the annealing process using a single sample. We show, for 10 nm Ni films on Si, that their composition follows the normal transition sequence, such as Ni-Ni2Si-NiSi. For samples with initial Ni thickness of 3 nm, depth-resolved crystallography using a position-sensitive detector, shows that the Ni film transform from an as-deposited disordered layer to epitaxial silicide layers at a relatively low temperature of ~290 {\deg}C., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures

The electrical characterization of p-Silicon (Si) and n-Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod heterojunction diode has been performed. ZnO nanorods were grown on p-Silicon substrate by the aqueous chemical growth (ACG) method. The SEM image revealed high density, vertically aligned hexagonal ZnO nanorods with an average height of about 1.2 mu m. Electrical characterization of n-ZnO nanorods/p-Si heterojunction diode was done by current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), and conductance-voltage (G-V) measurements at room temperature. The heterojunction exhibited good electrical characteristics with diode-like rectifying behaviour with an ideality factor of 2.7, rectification factor of 52, and barrier height of 0.7 V. Energy band (EB) structure has been studied to investigate the factors responsible for small rectification factor. In order to investigate nonidealities, series resistance and distribution of interface state density (N-SS) below the conduction band (CB) were extracted with the help of I-V and C-V and G-V measurements. The series resistances were found to be 0.70, 0.73, and 0.75 K omega, and density distribution interface states from 8.38 x 10(12) to 5.83 x 10(11) eV(-1) cm(-2) were obtained from 0.01 eV to 0.55 eV below the conduction band. Funding Agencies|Sultan Qaboos Oman IT chair office at the NED University of Engineering and Technology; Electronic Design Center at the NED University of Engineering and Technology

This work demonstrates how the combination of resonant and non-resonant X-ray emission spectroscopies supplemented with theoretical modelling allows for quantitative analysis of electronic states around Fermi, band gap energies and strength of crystal field splitting in 5d transition metal and metal-oxide materials., The composition of occupied and unoccupied electronic states in the vicinity of Fermi energies is vital for all materials and relates to their physical, chemical and mechanical properties. This work demonstrates how the combination of resonant and non-resonant X-ray emission spectroscopies supplemented with theoretical modelling allows for quantitative analysis of electronic states in 5d transition metal and metal-oxide materials. Application of X-rays provides element selectivity that, in combination with the penetrating properties of hard X-rays, allows determination of the composition of electronic states under working conditions, i.e. non-vacuum environment. Tungsten metal and tungsten oxide are evaluated to show the capability to simultaneously assess composition of around-band-gap electronic states as well as the character and magnitude of the crystal field splitting.

Triplet generation in organic solar cells has been considered a major loss channel. Determining the density of the triplet-state population in an operating device is challenging. Here, we employ transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy on the quinoxaline-thiophene copolymer TQ1 blended with PC71BM, quantify the transient charge and tripletstate densities, and parametrize their generation and recombination dynamics. The charge recombination parameters reproduce the experimentally measured current-voltage characteristics in charge carrier drift-diffusion simulations, and they yield the steady-state charge densities. We demonstrate that triplets are formed by both geminate and nongeminate recombination of charge carriers and decay primarily by triplet-triplet annihilation. Using the charge densities in the rate equations describing triplet-state dynamics, we find that triplet-state densities in devices are in the range of charge carrier densities. Despite this substantial triplet-state buildup, TQ1:PC71BM devices exhibit only moderate geminate recombination and significantly reduced nongeminate charge recombination, with reduction factors between 10(-4) and 10(-3) compared to Langevin recombination. Funding Agencies|King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) [OSR2018-CARF/CCF-3079]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2016.0494]

The differential conductance of graphene is shown to exhibit a zero-bias anomaly at low temperatures, arising from a suppression of the quantum corrections due to weak localization and electron interactions. A simple rescaling of these data, free of any adjustable parameters, shows that this anomaly exhibits a universal, temperature- (T) independent form. According to this, the differential conductance is approximately constant at small voltages (V kBT/e), while at larger voltages it increases logarithmically with the applied bias. For theoretical insight into the origins of this behaviour, which is inconsistent with electron heating, we formulate a model for weak-localization in the presence of nonequilibrium transport. According to this model, the applied voltage causes unavoidable dispersion decoherence, which arises as diffusing electron partial waves, with a spread of energies defined by the value of the applied voltage, gradually decohere with one another as they diffuse through the system. The decoherence yields a universal scaling of the conductance as a function of eV/kBT, with a logarithmic variation for eV/kBT > 1, variations in accordance with the results of experiment. Our theoretical description of nonequilibrium transport in the presence of this source of decoherence exhibits strong similarities with the results of experiment, including the aforementioned rescaling of the conductance and its logarithmic variation as a function of the applied voltage.

Highlights The development of bismuth ferrite as a multiferroic nanomaterial is summarized.The morphology, structures, and properties of bismuth ferrite and its potential applications in multiferroic devices with novel functions are presented and discussed.Some perspectives and issues needed to be solved are described., Multiferroic nanomaterials have attracted great interest due to simultaneous two or more properties such as ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, and ferroelasticity, which can promise a broad application in multifunctional, low-power consumption, environmentally friendly devices. Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3, BFO) exhibits both (anti)ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties at room temperature. Thus, it has played an increasingly important role in multiferroic system. In this review, we systematically discussed the developments of BFO nanomaterials including morphology, structures, properties, and potential applications in multiferroic devices with novel functions. Even the opportunities and challenges were all analyzed and summarized. We hope this review can act as an updating and encourage more researchers to push on the development of BFO nanomaterials in the future.

Inspired by the unique properties of graphene, research efforts have broadened to investigations of various other two-dimensional materials with the aim of exploring their properties for future applications. Our combined experimental and theoretical study confirms the existence of a binary honeycomb structure formed by Ag and Te on Ag(111). Low-energy electron diffraction shows sharp spots which provide evidence of an undistorted AgTe layer. Band structure data obtained by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy are closely reproduced by first-principles calculations, using density functional theory (DFT). This confirms the formation of a honeycomb structure with one Ag and one Te atom in the unit cell. In addition, the theoretical band structure reproduces also the finer details of the experimental bands, such as a split of one of the AgTe bands. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research Council [621-2014-4764]

Worldwide significant efforts are ongoing to develop devices that store solar energy as fuels. In one such approach, solar energy is absorbed by semiconductors and utilized directly by catalysts at their surfaces to split water into H-2 and O-2. To protect the semiconductors in these photo-electrochemical cells (PEC) from corrosion, frequently thin TiO2 interlayers are applied. Employing a well-performing photoanode comprised of 1-D n-Si microwires (MWs) covered with a mesoporous (mp) TiO2 interlayer fabricated by solution processing and functionalized with alpha-Fe2O3 nanorods, we studied here the function of this TiO2 interlayer by high-energy resolution fluorescence detected X-ray absorption near edge structure (HERFD-XANES) spectroscopy, along with X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and standard characterization techniques. Our data reveal that the TiO2 interlayer not only protects the n-Si MW surface from corrosion, but that it also acts as a template for the hydrothermal growth of alpha-Fe2O3 nanorods and improves the photocatalytic efficiency. We show that the latter effect correlates with the presence of stable oxygen vacancies at the interface between mp-TiO2 and alpha-Fe2O3, which act as electron traps and thereby substantially reduce the charge recombination rate at the hematite surface.

Gallium alloying and grading in Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 (CIGS) are well-established strategies for improving performance of thin-film solar cells by tailoring band profiles within the absorber. Similarly, Ag incorporation is considered to be an effective complementary route towards further advancement of the field. Herein, we explore thermodynamics of the formation of (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se-2 (ACIGS) alloy. Using first-principles methods, we reveal the existence of a miscibility gap in the Ga-rich alloys at temperatures close to those employed for the co-evaporation growth. We demonstrate that this property can result in phase separation and the formation of Ag gradients throughout the film thickness. We prove experimentally that the phase separation can indeed occur during low-temperature growth and/or post-deposition treatments. Furthermore, we uncover the anticorrelation between Ag and Ga contents, and demonstrate thermodynamically-driven formation of [Ag]/([Ag] + [Cu]) gradients in films with a steep [Ga]/([Ga] + [In]) profile. Finally, we discuss how these phenomena can influence solar cell devices. The presented results are expected to provide fundamental insight into the physics of growth and processing of ACIGS absorbers, which could be utilized to further boost the efficiency of thin-film solar cells.

Charge transfer dynamics are of importance in functional materials used in devices ranging from transistors to photovoltaics. The understanding of charge transfer in particular of how fast electrons tunnel away from an excited state and where they end up, is necessary to tailor materials used in devices. We have investigated charge transfer dynamics in different forms of the layered two-dimensional material molybdenum disulphide (MoS2, in single crystal, nanocrystalline particles and crystallites in a reduced graphene oxide network) using core-hole clock spectroscopy. By recording the electrons in the sulphur KLL Auger electron kinetic energy range we have measured the prevalence of localised and delocalised decays from a state created by core excitation using X-rays. We show that breaking the crystal symmetry of the single crystal into either particles or sheets causes the charge transfer from the excited state to occur faster, even more so when incorporating it in a graphene oxide network. The interface between the MoS2 and the reduced graphene oxide forms a Schottky barrier which changes the ratio between local and delocalised decays creating two distinct regions in the charge transfer dependent on the energy of the excited electron. Thereby we show that ultra-fast charge transfer in MoS2 can be tailored, a result which can be used in the design of emergent devices.

In the present work, we elucidate the interplay among energetic bombardment effects in magnetron sputtering and defect generation in two-dimensional (2D) materials. Using deposition of gold (Au) layers on single-layer graphene (SLG) as a model system, we study the effect of pressure-distance (pd) product during magnetron sputtering on the pristine SLG properties. Raman spectroscopy, complemented by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, shows that for pd = 8.2 Pa center dot cm, Au layer deposition causes defects in the SLG layer, which gradually diminish and eventually disappear with increasing pd to 82.5 Pa center dot cm. Stochastic and deterministic simulations of the sputtering process, the gas-phase transport, and the interaction of sputtered and plasma species with the substrate surface suggest that defects in SLG primarily emanate from ballistic damage caused by backscattered Ar atoms with energies above 100 eV. With increasing pd, and thereby gas-phase scattering, such high energy Ar species become thermalized and hence incapable of causing atomic displacements in the SLG layer. The overall results of our study suggest that control of backscattered Ar energy is a potential path toward enabling magnetron sputtering for fabrication of multifunctional metal contacts in devices founded upon 2D materials. Funding Agencies|Linkodping University ("LiU Career Contract) [Dnr-LiU-2015-01510]; Swedish research councilSwedish Research CouncilEuropean Commission [VR-2015-04630]; Aforsk foundation [AF 19-137]; Olle Engkvist foundation [SOEB 190-312]; Wenner-Gren foundations [UPD2018-0071, UPD2019-0007]

Funder: RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000266, Funder: funding from the Royal society through a Newton international fellowship, Funder: the Winton programme for the physics of sustainability, Funder: The Royal society and Tata group. The Royal society funding through a Newton international fellowship. The Winton programme for the physics of sustainability., There is a growing interest in obtaining high quality monolayer transition metal disulfides for optoelectronic applications. Surface treatments using a range of chemicals have proven effective to improve the photoluminescence yield of these materials. However, the underlying mechanism for the photoluminescence enhancement is not clear, which prevents a rational design of passivation strategies. Here, a simple and effective approach to significantly enhance the photoluminescence is demonstrated by using a family of cation donors, which we show to be much more effective than commonly used p-dopants. We develop a detailed mechanistic picture for the action of these cation donors and demonstrate that one of them, bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt (Li-TFSI), enhances the photoluminescence of both MoS2 and WS2 to a level double that of the currently best performing super-acid trifluoromethanesulfonimide (H-TFSI) treatment. In addition, the ionic salts used in our treatments are compatible with greener solvents and are easier to handle than super-acids, providing the possibility of performing treatments during device fabrication. This work sets up rational selection rules for ionic chemicals to passivate transition metal disulfides and increases their potential in practical optoelectronic applications.

Nanometer-thin rare-earth-transition metal (RE-TM) alloys with precisely controlled compositions and out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy are currently in the focus for ultrafast magnetophotonic applications. However, achieving lateral nanoscale dimensions, crucial for potential device downscaling, while maintaining designable optomagnetic functionality and out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy is extremely challenging. Here we integrate nanosized Tb$_{18}$Co$_{82}$ ferrimagnetic alloys, having strong out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy, within a gold plasmonic nanoantenna array to design micrometer-scale a magnetophotonic crystal that exhibit abrupt and narrow magneto-optical spectral features that are both magnetic field and light incidence direction controlled. The narrow Fano-type resonance arises through the interference of the individual nanoantenna's surface plasmons and a Rayleigh anomaly of the whole nanoantenna array, in both optical and magneto-optical spectra, which we demonstrate and explain using Maxwell-theory simulations. This robust magnetophotonic crystal opens the way for conceptually new high-resolution light incidence direction sensors, as well as for building blocks for plasmon-assisted all-optical magnetization switching in ferrimagnetic RE-TM alloys., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures

In this review paper, several new approaches about the 3C-SiC growth are been presented. In fact, despite the long research activity on 3C-SiC, no devices with good electrical characteristics have been obtained due to the high defect density and high level of stress. To overcome these problems, two different approaches have been used in the last years. From one side, several compliance substrates have been used to try to reduce both the defects and stress, while from another side, the first bulk growth has been performed to try to improve the quality of this material with respect to the heteroepitaxial one. From all these studies, a new understanding of the material defects has been obtained, as well as regarding all the interactions between defects and several growth parameters. This new knowledge will be the basis to solve the main issue of the 3C-SiC growth and reach the goal to obtain a material with low defects and low stress that would allow for realizing devices with extremely interesting characteristics. Funding Agencies|European UnionEuropean Commission [720827]

Whether SmB6 is a topological insulator remains hotly debated. Our density functional theory plus dynamical mean field theory calculations are in excellent agreement with a large range of experiments, from the 4f5.5 intermediate valency to x-ray and photoemission spectra. Using the pole extended (PE) Hamiltonian, which fully captures the self-energy, we show that SmB6 is a strongly correlated topological insulator, albeit not a Kondo insulator. The PE Hamiltonian is proved to be topological (in)equivalent to the topological Hamiltonian for (non-)local self-energies. The topological surface states are analyzed, addressing conflicting interpretations of photoemission data., Comment: The Supplemental Material starts at page 7

The external quantum efficiency of perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) has advanced quickly during the past few years. However, under pulsed operation, an operation mode which is important for display and visible light communication, the performance of PeLEDs changes a lot and requires in-depth understanding to facilitate these applications. Here, we report the response of PeLEDs under pulsed operation in the range of 10 Hz to 20 kHz. Beyond transient effects in the low frequencies, we find that for higher frequencies (>500 Hz) the transient electroluminescence intensity depends strongly on the duty cycle. This feature is much more pronounced and of different origin than that in conventional LEDs. We rationalise our experimental observations using a mathematical model and assign these features to the effect of mobile ionic charges in the perovskite. Our work also provides important implications for the operation of PeLEDs under the steady state, where accumulation of mobile ions at the interfaces could be beneficial for high electroluminescence yields but harmful for the long-term stability., Pulsed operation of perovskite light-emitting diodes is of particular importance in display and visible light communication, yet the ionic behaviour under this mode is not well-understood. Here, the authors reveal that the transient electroluminescence intensity increases with increasing pulse width as the result of accumulation of mobile ions at the interfaces.

Active nanophotonics can be realized by controlling the optical properties of materials with external magnetic fields. Here, we explore the influence of optical anisotropy on the magneto-optical activity in nonmagnetic hyperbolic nanoparticles. We demonstrate that the magneto-optical response is driven by the hyperbolic dispersion via the coupling of metallic-induced electric and dielectric-induced magnetic dipolar optical modes with static magnetic fields. Magnetic circular dichroism experiments confirm the theoretical predictions and reveal tunable magneto-optical activity across the visible and near infrared spectral range. published

The phenomenon of coupling between light and surface plasmon polaritons requires specific momentum matching conditions. In the case of a single scattering object on a metallic surface, such as a nanoparticle or a nanohole, the coupling between a broadband effect, i.e., scattering, and a discrete one, such as surface plasmon excitation, leads to Fano-like resonance lineshapes. The necessary phase matching requirements can be used to engineer the light–plasmon coupling and to achieve a directional plasmonic excitation. Here, we investigate this effect by using a chiral nanotip to excite surface plasmons with a strong spin-dependent azimuthal variation. This effect can be described by a Fano-like interference with a complex coupling factor that can be modified thanks to a symmetry breaking of the nanostructure.

The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction, as well as symmetric anisotropic exchange, are important ingredients for stabilizing topologically non-trivial magnetic textures, such as, e.g., skyrmions, merons and hopfions. These types of textures are currently in focus from a fundamental science perspective and they are also discussed in the context of future spintronics information technology. While the theoretical understanding of the Heisenberg exchange interactions is well developed, it is still a challenge to access, from first principles theory, the DM interaction as well as the symmetric anisotropic exchange, which both require a fully-relativistic treatment of the electronic structure, in magnetic systems where substantial electron-electron correlations are present. Here, we present results of a theoretical framework which allows to compute these interactions in any given system and demonstrate its performance for several selected cases, for both bulk and low-dimensional systems. We address several representative cases, including the bulk systems CoPt and FePt, the B20 compounds MnSi and FeGe as well as the low-dimensional transition metal bilayers Co/Pt(111) and Mn/W(001). The effect of electron-electron correlations is analyzed using dynamical mean-field theory on the level of the spin-polarized $T$-matrix + fluctuating exchange (SPTF) approximation, as regards the strength and character of the isotropic (Heisenberg) and anisotropic (DM) interactions in relation to the underlying electronic structure. Our method can be combined with more advanced techniques for treating correlations, e.g., quantum Monte Carlo and exact diagonalization methods for the impurity solver of dynamical mean-field theory. We find that correlation-induced changes of the DM interaction can be rather significant, with up to five-fold modifications in the most distinctive case., Comment: 20 pages, 22 figures

This article presents a novel method to grow a high-quality compressive-strain Ge epilayer on Si using the selective epitaxial growth (SEG) applying the RPCVD technique. The procedures are composed of a global growth of Ge layer on Si followed by a planarization using CMP as initial process steps. The growth parameters of the Ge layer were carefully optimized and after cycle-annealing treatments, the threading dislocation density (TDD) was reduced to 3 × 107 cm−2. As a result of this process, a tensile strain of 0.25% was induced, whereas the RMS value was as low as 0.81 nm. Later, these substrates were covered by an oxide layer and patterned to create trenches for selective epitaxy growth (SEG) of the Ge layer. In these structures, a type of compressive strain was formed in the SEG Ge top layer. The strain amount was −0.34%, meanwhile, the TDD and RMS surface roughness were 2 × 106 cm−2 and 0.68 nm, respectively. HRXRD and TEM results also verified the existence of compressive strain in selectively grown Ge layer. In contrast to the tensile strained Ge layer (globally grown), enhanced PL intensity by a factor of more than 2 is partially due to the improved material quality. The significantly high PL intensity is attributed to the improved crystalline quality of the selectively grown Ge layer. The change in direct bandgap energy of PL was observed, owing to the compressive strain introduced. Hall measurement shows that a selectively grown Ge layer possesses room temperature hole mobility up to 375 cm2/Vs, which is approximately 3 times larger than that of the Ge (132 cm2/Vs). Our work offers fundamental guidance for the growth of high-quality and compressive strain Ge epilayer on Si for future Ge-based optoelectronics integration applications.

Polymer-based magnetoelectric composite materials have attracted a lot of attention due to their high potential in various types of applications as magnetic field sensors, energy harvesting, and biomedical devices. Current researches are focused on the increase in the efficiency of magnetoelectric transformation. In this work, a new strategy of arrangement of clusters of magnetic nanoparticles by an external magnetic field in PVDF and PFVD-TrFE matrixes is proposed to increase the voltage coefficient (αME) of the magnetoelectric effect. Another strategy is the use of 3-component composites through the inclusion of piezoelectric BaTiO3 particles. Developed strategies allow us to increase the αME value from ~5 mV/cm·Oe for the composite of randomly distributed CoFe2O4 nanoparticles in PVDF matrix to ~18.5 mV/cm·Oe for a composite of magnetic particles in PVDF-TrFE matrix with 5%wt of piezoelectric particles. The applicability of such materials as bioactive surface is demonstrated on neural crest stem cell cultures.

The magnetic inertial dynamics have been investigated for one sublattice ferromagnets. Here, we develop the magnetization dynamics in two-sublattice ferromagnets including the intra- and inter-sublattice inertial dynamics. First, we derive the magnetic susceptibility of such a ferromagnet. Next, by finding the poles of the susceptibility, we calculate the precession and nutation resonance frequencies. Our results suggest that while the resonance frequencies show decreasing behavior with the increasing intra-sublattice relaxation time, the effect of inter-sublattice inertial dynamics is contrasting., 14 pages, 4 figures

Conducting polymers, such as the p-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), have enabled the development of an array of opto- and bio-electronics devices. However, to make these technologies truly pervasive, stable and easily processable, n-doped conducting polymers are also needed. Despite major efforts, no n-type equivalents to the benchmark PEDOT:PSS exist to date. Here, we report on the development of poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline):poly(ethyleneimine) (BBL:PEI) as an ethanol-based n-type conductive ink. BBL:PEI thin films yield an n-type electrical conductivity reaching 8 S cm−1, along with excellent thermal, ambient, and solvent stability. This printable n-type mixed ion-electron conductor has several technological implications for realizing high-performance organic electronic devices, as demonstrated for organic thermoelectric generators with record high power output and n-type organic electrochemical transistors with a unique depletion mode of operation. BBL:PEI inks hold promise for the development of next-generation bioelectronics and wearable devices, in particular targeting novel functionality, efficiency, and power performance., The development of n-type conductive polymer inks is critical for the development of next-generation opto-electronic devices that rely on efficient hole and electron transport. Here, the authors report an alcohol-based, high performance and stable n-type conductive ink for printed electronics.

We investigate the effect of electron-phonon interactions (EPI) in systems exhibiting one or more flat electron bands close to the Fermi level and a comparatively large phonon energy scale. After solving the self-consistent full-bandwidth Eliashberg equations, we compute angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy/microscopy (STS/STM) spectra. We obtain a sequence of quasiparticle replica bands in both the normal and superconducting states that originate from frequency-dependent features of the electron mass renormalization function. We show that these replica bands can be used to extract the relevant phonon energy scale from experiments. Focusing in particular on twisted bilayer graphene, we predict replica-band formation, which, when observed, will shed light on the role of EPI in this archetypal flat-band system.

Solution-processable perovskites show highly emissive and good charge transport, making them attractive for low-cost light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with high energy conversion efficiencies. Despite recent advances in device efficiency, the stability of perovskite LEDs is still a major obstacle. Here, we demonstrate stable and bright perovskite LEDs with high energy conversion efficiencies by optimizing formamidinium lead iodide films. Our LEDs show an energy conversion efficiency of 10.7%, and an external quantum efficiency of 14.2% without outcoupling enhancement through controlling the concentration of the precursor solutions. The device shows low efficiency droop, i.e. 8.3% energy conversion efficiency and 14.0% external quantum efficiency at a current density of 300 mA cm−2, making the device more efficient than state-of-the-art organic and quantum-dot LEDs at high current densities. Furthermore, the half-lifetime of device with benzylamine treatment is 23.7 hr under a current density of 100 mA cm−2, comparable to the lifetime of near-infrared organic LEDs., Light-emitting diodes based on halide perovskites have made remarkable progress but their stability is the bottleneck. Here Miao et al. show 14% quantum efficiency at a current density of 300 mA cm-2 and 23.7 hr lifetime under a current density of 100 mA cm-2, making it promising for actual application.

Publisher's version (útgefin grein), We report promising results regarding the possible use of AlN or Al 2 O 3 as a gate dielectric in 4H-SiC MISFETs. The crystalline AlN films are grown by hot wall metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at 1100 °C. The amorphous Al 2 O 3 films are grown by repeated deposition and subsequent low temperature (200 °C) oxidation of thin Al layers using a hot plate. Our investigation shows a very low density of interface traps at the AlN/4H-SiC and the Al 2 O 3 /4H-SiC interface estimated from capacitance-voltage (CV) analysis of MIS capacitors. Current-voltage (IV) analysis shows that the breakdown electric field across the AlN or Al 2 O 3 is ∼ 3 MV/cm or ∼ 5 MV/cm respectively. By depositing an additional SiO 2 layer by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 300 °C on top of the AlN or Al 2 O 3 layers, it is possible to increase the breakdown voltage of the MIS capacitors significantly without having pronounced impact on the quality of the AlN/SiC or Al 2 O 3 /SiC interfaces., This work was financially supported by The Icelandic Research Fund. We also acknowledge support from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research ( SSF ), and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW).

Undoped, conjugated, organic molecules and polymers possess properties of semiconductors, including the electronic structure and charge transport, which can be readily tuned by chemical design. Moreover, organic semiconductors (OSs) can be n-doped or p-doped to become organic conductors and can exhibit mixed electronic and ionic conductivity. Compared with inorganic semiconductors and metals, organic (semi)conductors possess a unique feature: no insulating oxide forms on their surface when exposed to air. Thus, OSs form clean interfaces with many materials, including metals and other OSs. OS–metal and OS–OS interfaces have been intensely investigated over the past 30 years, from which a consistent theoretical description has emerged. Since the 2000s, increased attention has been paid to interfaces in organic electronics that involve dielectrics, electrolytes, ferroelectrics and even biological organisms. In this Review, we consider the central role of these interfaces in the function of organic electronic devices and discuss how the physico-chemical properties of the interfaces govern the interfacial transport of light, excitons, electrons and ions, as well as the transduction of electrons into the molecular language of cells. Funding agencies: Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU) [2009 00971]; Wallenberg Wood Science Center; Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundatio

Theoretical understanding of the electronic structure and optical transitions in n-doped conducting polymers is still controversial for polaronic and bipolaronic states and is completely missing for the case of a high doping level. In the present paper, the electronic structure and optical properties of the archetypical n-doped conducting polymer, double-stranded benzimidazo-benzophenanthroline ladder (BBL), are studied using the density functional theory (DFT) and the time dependent DFT method. We find that a polaronic state in the BBL chain is a spin-resolved doublet where the spin degeneracy is lifted. The ground state of two electrons corresponds to a triplet polaron pair, which is in stark contrast to a commonly accepted picture where two electrons are postulated to form a spinless bipolaron. The total spin gradually increases until the reduction level reaches c(red) = 100% (i.e., one electron per monomer unit). With further increase of the reduction level, the total spin decreases until it becomes 0 for the reduction level c(red) = 200%. The calculated results reproduce the experimentally observed spin signal without any phenomenological parameters. A detailed analysis of the evolution of the electronic structure of BBL and its absorption spectra with increase in reduction level is presented. The calculated UV-vis-NIR spectra are compared with the available experimental results. The electronic structure and optical absorption for different reduction levels presented here are generic to a wide class of conducting polymers, which is illustrated by the corresponding calculations for another archetypical conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (best known as PEDOT). Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council [2016-05990, 2017-04474]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation; Advanced Functional Material Center at Linkoping University

Two-dimensional (2D) perovskites incorporating hydrophobic organic spacer cations show improved film stability and morphology compared to their three-dimensional (3D) counterparts. However, 2D perovskites usually exhibit low photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) owing to strong exciton-phonon interaction at room temperature, which limits their efficiency in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we demonstrate that the device performance of 2D perovskite LEDs can be significantly enhanced by doping Mn(2+)in (benzimidazolium)(2)PbI4 2D perovskite films to suppress the exciton-phonon interaction. The distorted [PbI6](4-) octahedra by Mn-doping and the rigid benzimidazolium (BIZ) ring without branched chains in the 2D perovskite structure lead to improved crystallinity and rigidity of the perovskites, resulting in suppressed phonon-exciton interaction and enhanced PLQE. On the basis of this strategy, for the first time, we report yellow electroluminescence from free excitons in 2D (n = 1) perovskites with a maximum brightness of 225 cd m(-2) and a peak EQE of 0.045%. Funding Agencies|Major Research Plan of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [91733302]; European Union [2016YFE0112000]; National Basic Research Program of China-Fundamental Studies of Perovskite Solar Cells [2015CB932200]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [61634001, 51703094]; Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China [BK20170991, BK20150043, BK20150064]; National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars [61725502]; Natural Science Fund for Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province of China [17KJB150023]; Synergetic Innovation Center for Organic Electronics and Information Displays

The search for high-temperature superconductivity is one of the research frontiers in physics. In the sulfur hydride system, an extremely high Tc (∼200 K) has been recently developed at pressure. However, the Meissner effect measurement above megabar pressures is still a great challenge. Here, we report the superconductivity identification of sulfur hydride at pressure, employing an in situ alternating-current magnetic susceptibility technique. We determine the superconducting phase diagram, finding that superconductivity suddenly appears at 117 GPa and Tc reaches 183 K at 149 GPa before decreasing monotonically with increasing pressure. By means of theoretical calculations, we elucidate the variation of Tc in the low-pressure region in terms of the changing stoichiometry of sulfur hydride and the further decrease in Tc owing to a drop in the electron–phonon interaction parameter λ. This work provides a new insight into clarifying superconducting phenomena and anchoring the superconducting phase diagram in the hydrides.