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Two-dimensional materials with engineered composition and structure will provide designer materials beyond conventional semiconductors. However, the potentials of defect engineering remain largely untapped, because it hinges on a precise understanding of electronic structure and excitonic properties, which are not yet predictable by theory alone. Here, we utilize correlative, nanoscale photoemission spectroscopy to visualize how local introduction of defects modifies electronic and excitonic properties of two-dimensional materials at the nanoscale. As a model system, we study chemical vapor deposition grown monolayer WS2, a prototypical, direct gap, two-dimensional semiconductor. By cross-correlating nanoscale angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, core level spectroscopy, and photoluminescence, we unravel how local variations in defect density influence electronic structure, lateral band alignment, and excitonic phenomena in synthetic WS2 monolayers.

As a possible pathway to continue Moore's law indefinitely into the future as well as unprecedented beyond-Moore heterogeneous integration, we examine the prospects of building monolithic 3D integrated circuits (M3D-IC) with atomically-thin or 2D van der Waals materials in terms of overcoming the major drawbacks of current 3D-ICs, including low process thermal budget, inter-tier signal delay, chip-overheating, and inter-tier electrical interference problems. Our holistic evaluation includes consideration of the electrical performance, thermal issues, and electromagnetic interference as well as attention to the synthesis methods necessary for low-temperature transfer-free 2D materials growth in M3D fabrication. Both in-plane and out-of-plane heat-dissipation in 3D-ICs made with 2D materials are evaluated and compared with those of bulk materials. Electrostatic and high-frequency electric-field simulations are conducted to assess the screening effect by graphene and effect of scaling down the inter-layer dielectric (ILD) thickness. Our analysis reveals for the first time that the 2D-based M3D integration can offer >ten-folds higher integration density compared with through-silicon-via (TSV)-based 3D integration, and >150% integration density improvement with respect to conventional M3D integration. Therefore, 2D materials provide a significantly better platform, with respect to bulk materials (such as Si, Ge, GaN), for realizing ultra-high-density M3D-ICs of ultimate thinness for next-generation electronics.

The ability to directly monitor the states of electrons in modern field-effect devices-for example, imaging local changes in the electrical potential, Fermi level and band structure as a gate voltage is applied-could transform our understanding of the physics and function of a device. Here we show that micrometre-scale, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy1-3 (microARPES) applied to two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures4 affords this ability. In two-terminal graphene devices, we observe a shift of the Fermi level across the Dirac point, with no detectable change in the dispersion, as a gate voltage is applied. In two-dimensional semiconductor devices, we see the conduction-band edge appear as electrons accumulate, thereby firmly establishing the energy and momentum of the edge. In the case of monolayer tungsten diselenide, we observe that the bandgap is renormalized downwards by several hundreds of millielectronvolts-approaching the exciton energy-as the electrostatic doping increases. Both optical spectroscopy and microARPES can be carried out on a single device, allowing definitive studies of the relationship between gate-controlled electronic and optical properties. The technique provides a powerful way to study not only fundamental semiconductor physics, but also intriguing phenomena such as topological transitions5 and many-body spectral reconstructions under electrical control.

Palladium has been widely employed as a hole contact to WSe2 and has enabled, at times, the highest WSe2 transistor performance. However, there are orders of magnitude variation across the literature in Pd–WSe2 contact resistance and ION/IOFF ratios with no true understanding of how to consistently achieve high-performance contacts. In this work, WSe2 transistors with impressive ION/IOFF ratios of 106 and Pd–WSe2 Schottky diodes with near-zero variability are demonstrated utilizing Ohmic-like Pd contacts through deliberate control of the interface chemistry. The increased concentration of a PdSex intermetallic is correlated with an Ohmic band alignment and concomitant defect passivation, which further reduces the contact resistance, variability, and barrier height inhomogeneity. The lowest contact resistance occurs when a 60 min post-metallization anneal at 400 °C in forming gas (FG) is performed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates this FG anneal produces 3× the concentration of PdSex and an Ohmic band alignment, in contrast to that detected after annealing in ultrahigh vacuum, during which a 0.2 eV hole Schottky barrier forms. Raman spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy highlight the necessity of the fabrication step to achieve high-performance contacts as no PdSex forms, and WSe2 is unperturbed by room temperature Pd deposition. However, at least one WSe2 layer is consumed by the necessary interface reactions that form PdSex requiring strategic exploitation of a sacrificial WSe2 layer during device fabrication. The interface chemistry and structural properties are correlated with Pd–WSe2 diode and transistor performance, and the recommended processing steps are provided to enable reliable high-performance contact formation.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with intrinsic band gaps are considered to be prospective alternatives for graphene in the applications of emerging nano-semiconductor devices. As a significant member of the TMDs family, WSe₂ with superior optical properties attracts increasing attention, especially in the optoelectronics. In this thesis, the electronic and mechanical properties of 2D WSe₂ have been studied experimentally and theoretically. Firstly, the fabrication of substrate-supported and suspended pre-patterned WSe₂ FETs with the low-cost optical lithography and vapour HF etching technology have been realised. The subsequent electrical measurement of the fabricated WSe₂ FETs indicates that the WSe₂/dielectric interface can affect the electrical performance of 2D WSe₂ negatively. To gain more insights on the impact of field-effect on 2D WSe₂, first-principle calculations have been conducted in this research to study the evolutions of the crystal structure, electronic band structure, conductive channel size, and electrical transport property of WSe2 under various levels of field-effect. Furthermore, a layer thinning and chemical doping method of 2D WSe₂ by vapour XeF₂ exposure featured with good air-stability, scalability, and controllability has been developed to enable the layer engineering of 2D WSe₂ and integration of 2D WSe₂ to logic circuits, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes (LED). The thinning and doping mechanism has been investigated with a combination of Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization techniques. Afterwards, the inplane elastic properties (including the Young’s modulus, breaking strain, and etc.) of 2D WSe₂ have been measured with nanoindentation experiments implemented by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results prove the suitability of 2D WSe₂ in the applications of flexible devices and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) operating in the audio resonance frequency, such as acoustic sensors and loudspeakers. To provide a comprehensive understanding of the strain engineering of 2D WSe₂, the strain induced variations of the crystal structure, electronic band structure, and electrical transport property of 2D WSe₂ have been further studied with first-principle calculations, which paves the way for the performance tuning of 2D WSe₂ devices via strain and applications of 2D WSe₂ in strain sensors.

This article belongs to the Special Issue Low Dimensional Materials for Environmental and Biomedical Applications., The research field of two dimensional (2D) materials strongly relies on optical microscopy characterization tools to identify atomically thin materials and to determine their number of layers. Moreover, optical microscopy-based techniques opened the door to study the optical properties of these nanomaterials. We presented a comprehensive study of the differential reflectance spectra of 2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2, with thickness ranging from one layer up to six layers. We analyzed the thickness-dependent energy of the different excitonic features, indicating the change in the band structure of the different TMDC materials with the number of layers. Our work provided a route to employ differential reflectance spectroscopy for determining the number of layers of MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2., This project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research, innovation programme (grant agreement No. 755655, ERC-StG 2017 project 2D-TOPSENSE), the EU Graphene Flagship funding (Grant Graphene Core 2, 785219), the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) through the research program Rubicon with project number 680-50-1515, the MINECO (program FIS2015-67367-C2-1-P), and the China Scholarship Council (File NO. 201506120102).

The research field of two dimensional (2D) materials strongly relies on optical microscopy characterization tools to identify atomically thin materials and to determine their number of layers. Moreover, optical microscopy-based techniques opened the door to study the optical properties of these nanomaterials. We presented a comprehensive study of the differential reflectance spectra of 2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2, with thickness ranging from one layer up to six layers. We analyzed the thickness-dependent energy of the different excitonic features, indicating the change in the band structure of the different TMDC materials with the number of layers. Our work provided a route to employ differential reflectance spectroscopy for determining the number of layers of MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2.

We present quantum yield measurements of single layer $\textrm{WSe}_2$ (1L-$\textrm{WSe}_2$) integrated with high-Q ($Q>10^6$) optical microdisk cavities, using an efficient ($��>$90%) near-field coupling scheme based on a tapered optical fiber. Coupling of the excitonic emission is achieved by placing 1L-WSe$_2$ to the evanescent cavity field. This preserves the microresonator high intrinsic quality factor ($Q>10^6$) below the bandgap of 1L-WSe$_2$. The nonlinear excitation power dependence of the cavity quantum yield is in agreement with an exciton-exciton annihilation model. The cavity quantum yield is $\textrm{QY}_\textrm{c}\sim10^{-3}$, consistent with operation in the \textit{broad emitter} regime (i.e. the emission lifetime of 1L-WSe$_2$ is significantly shorter than the bare cavity decay time). This scheme can serve as a precise measurement tool for the excitonic emission of layered materials into cavity modes, for both in plane and out of plane excitation.

Understanding the excitonic nature of excited states in two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) is of key importance to make use of their optical and charge transport properties in optoelectronic applications. We contribute to this by the direct experimental determination of the exciton binding energy (Eb,exc) of monolayer MoS2 and WSe2 on two fundamentally different substrates, i.e. the insulator sapphire and the metal gold. By combining angle-resolved direct and inverse photoelectron spectroscopy we measure the electronic band gap (Eg), and by reflectance measurements the optical excitonic band gap (Eexc). The difference of these two energies is Eb,exc. The values of Eg and Eb,exc are 2.11 eV and 240 meV for MoS2 on sapphire, and 1.89 eV and 240 meV for WSe2 on sapphire. On Au Eb,exc is decreased to 90 meV and 140 meV for MoS2 and WSe2, respectively. The significant Eb,exc reduction is primarily due to a reduction of Eg resulting from enhanced screening by the metal, while Eexc is barely decreased for the metal support. Energy level diagrams determined at the K-point of the 2D TMDCs Brillouin zone show that MoS2 has more p-type character on Au as compared to sapphire, while WSe2 appears close to intrinsic on both. These results demonstrate that the impact of the dielectric environment of 2D TMDCs is more pronounced for individual charge carriers than for a correlated electron–hole pair, i.e. the exciton. A proper dielectric surrounding design for such 2D semiconductors can therefore be used to facilitate superior optoelectronic device function. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschafthttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100001659

Mesoscopic spin ensembles coupled to a cavity offer the exciting prospect of observing complex nonclassical phenomena that pool the microscopic features from a few spins with those of macroscopic spin ensembles. Here, we demonstrate how the collective interactions in an ensemble of as many as hundred spins can be harnessed to obtain a periodic pulse train of nonclassical light. To unravel the full quantum dynamics and photon statistics, we develop a time-adaptive variational renormalization group method that accurately captures the underlying Lindbladian dynamics of the mesoscopic spin-cavity system., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, REVTeX 4.1. Accepted version; includes Supplemental Material

We report the first observation of gate-controlled field emission current from a tungsten diselenide (WSe2) monolayer, synthesized by chemical-vapour deposition on SiO2/Si substrate. Ni contacted WSe2 monolayer back-gated transistors, under high vacuum, exhibit n-type conduction and drain-bias dependent transfer characteristics, which are attributed to oxygen/water desorption and drain induced Schottky barrier lowering, respectively. The gate-tuned n-type conduction enables field emission, i.e. the extraction of electrons by quantum tunnelling, even from the flat part of the WSe2 monolayers. Electron emission occurs under an electric field ~100 V {\mu}m^(-1) and exhibit good time stability. Remarkably, the field emission current can be modulated by the back-gate voltage. The first field-emission vertical transistor based on WSe2 monolayer is thus demonstrated and can pave the way to further optimize new WSe2 based devices for use in vacuum electronics., Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures

It was the aim of this thesis to investigate the influence of the substrate material on the optical properties of TMD monolayers and bilayers. Furthermore measurements in high external magnetic fields were conducted in order to get a deeper insight into the spin physics and to determine the g-factors of TMDs. When comparing the two CVD-grown WS2 samples on sapphire and SiO2 substrate, small differences in the emission properties are seen. WS2 on sapphire shows a slightly red shifted emission but exhibits a stronger coupling to the phonon system compared to SiO2 substrate. This is due to different doping caused by the substrate material. The phonon coupling was evaluated by measuring the temperature dependence of the energetic position for each emission band. Further analysis showed that trions in general interact less with the underlying phonon system than excitons do. With the help of strong magnetic fields the g-factors for the individual excitonic transitions were measured. For both CVD-grown WS2 samples, as well as for a CVD-grown MoSe2 sample, the excitonic and trionic g-factors were found to be 4 in conjunction with earlier studies. For MoSe2 no excitonic g-factor could be measured as the exciton vanishes at low temperatures. Furthermore, for the first time ever, it was possible to measure the g-factors for bound excitonic states in TMDs. Surprisingly, the measured values differ clearly from the value 4 obtained for free excitons and trions, revealing deviations in their effective masses. For the g-factors of the bound excitonic states in WS2 on sapphire substrate 4.33, 3.98, and 3.46 were found. On SiO2 substrate 4.33, 3.98, and 2.42 were found for the three bound excitonic states. MoSe2 on sapphire substrate produced 3.21, 2.87, and 2.42 as g-factors. The results strongly indicate a tendency. With larger binding energy and therefor stronger localization of the excitons the g-factor becomes smaller. Corrections beyond the two band model have to be taken into account, leading to different effective masses and different valley and orbital contributions. In the last part of this thesis measurements of the valley coherence on a CVD-grown WSe2 sample on MgF2 substrate were carried out. After pumping with linearly-polarized laser-light the emission also showed a certain degree (17 %) of polarization. Here, for the first time, this coherent superposition of left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light was measured in a transmission geometry. By applying an external magnetic field, the emission polarization turns against the polarization of the pump laser with a rate of 1,43 ◦/T. In literature both higher and smaller values are reported. In Literature the rotation of the polarization with increasing magnetic field is assigned to the rotation of the in-plane exciton-pseudospin. In steady-state experiments the sum of all intermediate states is measured, leading to a net rotation. Here, a new explanation is given. Due to the breaking of the degeneracy between the two emitting states, they emit at different energies by applying an external magnetic field. As the index of refraction for different energies can be different, this could introduce an ellipticity in the emission and therefor explain the observed shift with applied magnetic field when measuring in a linear polarized basis. For final clarification more measurements are needed. Also the possible influence of the Faraday effect of substrate and TMD has to be carried out., Übergangsmetalldichalkogenide (TMDs) weisen eine sehr große Licht-Materie-Wechselwirkung auf. So absorbiert eine Lage bereits bis zu 20% des einfallenden Lichts. Verantwortlich für die starke Absorption sind die besonders stark gebundenen Exzitonen in diesen Systemen. Die besonderen Eigenschaften, welche im Monolagenfall den Spin der Elektronen mit dem Tal, in dem sie sich befinden, verknüpft, machen diese Materialien zu potentiellen „Spintronik“- Kandidaten. Dieses Kunstwort ist zusammengesetzt aus „Spin“ und „Elektronik“ und beschreibt Bauteile, bei welchen der Informationsfluss nicht über elektrische Ladung, sondern über deren Spineigenschaften erfolgt. Aufgrund der starken Exzitonenbindungsenergie und des zweidimensionalen Charakters der Übergangsmetalldichalkogenide sollte die unmittelbare Umgebung der Materialien einen bedeutenden Einfluss auf die optischen Eigenschaften der Lagen haben. Erste Untersuchungen konnten bereits substratspezifische Effekte feststellen, es fehlt jedoch bisher an systematischen Untersuchungen. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es im ersten Teil, solch eine systematische Untersuchung durchzuführen und durch Anwendung zahlreicher optischer Spektroskopiemethoden (Ramanspektroskopie, Photolumineszenzspektroskopie, Reflektionsspektroskopie) den Einfluss unterschiedlicher Substrate auf die optischen Eigenschaften der Lagen herauszufinden. Aufgrund der besonderen Spin-Tal-Eigenschaften der Übergangsmetalldichalkogenidmonolagen sind Messungen in externen Magnetfeldern gut geeignet, um ein tieferes fundamentales Verständnis der Vorgänge in diesen Materialien zu erlangen. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wurden deshalb Untersuchungen in starken externen Magnetfeldern durchgeführt.

A monolayer of a transition metal dichalcogenide such as WSe2 is a two-dimensional direct-bandgap valley-semiconductor(1,2) having an effective honeycomb lattice structure with broken inversion symmetry. The inequivalent valleys in the Brillouin zone could be selectively addressed using circularly polarized light fields', suggesting the possibility for magneto-optical measurement and manipulation of the valley pseudospin degree of freedom(6-8). Here we report such experiments that demonstrate the valley Zeeman effect-strongly anisotropic lifting of the degeneracy of the valley pseudospin degree of freedom using an external magnetic field. The valley-splitting measured using the exciton transition deviates appreciably from values calculated using a three-band tight-binding model(9) for an independent electron-hole pair at +/- K valleys. We show, on the other hand, that a theoretical model taking into account the strongly bound nature of the exciton yields an excellent agreement with the experimentally observed splitting. In contrast to the exciton, the trion transition exhibits an unexpectedly large valley Zeeman effect that cannot be understood within the same framework, hinting at a different contribution to the trion magnetic moment. Our results raise the possibility of controlling the valley degree of freedom using magnetic fields in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides or observing topological states of photons strongly coupled to elementary optical excitations in a microcavity(10).

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) single layers like MoS2 or WSe2 are direct band gap two-dimensional semiconductors, with non-equivalent K and K' valleys in the first Brillouin zone. The degeneracy liftingbetween spin-up and spin-down energy bands induced by spin-orbit coupling is inverted between the K and K' valleys . Magnetic metallic contacts should allow spin-injection from a magnetic electrode to a TMDC single layer. The valley (K or K') and spin (up or down) indexes being strongly coupled, this should also allow to electrically select one of the valleys in TMDC-based spintronic or valleytronic deviees. In this Thesis, we have studied the physical properties of the Co(OOOl)/MoS2 and Ni(lll)/WSe2 interfaces with first-principles methods based on the density functional theory. We demonstrated that the TMDC single layers are covalently bound to the Co(OOOl) and Ni(lll) surfaces. We describe the atomic structure of these interfaces and the modification of the magnetic moments induced by charge transfer between interface atomes. The MoS2 and WSe2 single layers become metallic when they are covalently bound to the magnetic metals. We also calculated the spin-polarization at the Fermi level of the TMDC layers connected to th Co and Ni electrodes and the Schottky barrier height (difference between the Fermi level in the metallic phase of the TMDC below the magnetic contact and the bottom of the conduction band in a pure TMDC channel).; Les monofeuillets de dichalcogénures de métaux de transition (TMDC) tels que MoS2 ou WSe2 sont des semiconducteurs bidimensionnels à gap direct, dont les allées K et K' sont inéquivalentes dans la première zone de Brillouin : la levée de dégénérescence induite par le couplage spin-orbite entre les bandes de spin up et dawn est inversée entre les vallées K et K'. Des contacts métalliques magnétiques devraient permettre une injection de spin efficace depuis une électrode magnétique vers un TMDC. Les indices de vallée (Kou K') et de spin (up ou dawn) étant fortement couplés, cela permettrait de sélectionner électriquement l'une ou l'autre des vallées et de réaliser des dispositifs à base de TMDC pour la spintronique (exploitant le spin des électrons) ou pour la valléetronique (exploitant l'indice de vallée des électrons). Dans cette thèse, nous explorons les propriétés physiques des interfaces Co(OOOl)/MoS2 et Ni(lll)/WSe2 par des méthodes de calcul ab-initia basées sur la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité. Nous démontrons la nature covalente des liaisons à l'interface entre les monofeuillets de TMDC et les surfaces magnétiques Co(OOOl) et Ni(lll). Nous décrivons la structure atomique de ces interfaces, ainsi que la modification des moments magnétiques induite par des transferts de charge électrique entre atomes. Les liaisons covalentes aux interfaces confèrent aux monofeuillets de MoS2 et de WSe2 un caractère métallique. Nos calculs donnent finalement accès à la polarisation en spin au niveau de Fermi du TMDC connecté à ces électrodes magnétiques, ainsi qu'à la hauteur de la barrière Schottky (différence entre le niveau de Fermi dans la phase métallique du TMDC situé sous le contact magnétique et le bas de la bande de conduction du TMDC pur dans le canal).

We report experimental measurements for ultrathin (< 15 nm) van der Waals heterostructures exhibiting external quantum efficiencies exceeding 50%, and show that these structures can achieve experimental absorbance > 90%. By coupling electromagnetic simulations and experimental measurements, we show that pn WSe2/MoS2 heterojunctions with vertical carrier collection can have internal photocarrier collection efficiencies exceeding 70%., ACS Nano, 2017. Manuscript (25 pages, 7 figures) plus supporting information (7 pages, 4 figures)

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDCs) offer several attractive features for use in next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. Device applications of TMDCs have gained much research interest, and significant advancement has been recorded. In this review, the overall research advancement in electronic and optoelectronic devices based on TMDCs are summarized and discussed. In particular, we focus on evaluating field effect transistors (FETs), photovoltaic cells, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors, lasers, and integrated circuits (ICs) using TMDCs.

Just as photons are the quanta of light, plasmons are the quanta of orchestrated charge-density oscillations in conducting media. Plasmon phenomena in normal metals, superconductors, and doped semiconductors are often driven by long-wavelength Coulomb interactions. However, in crystals whose Fermi surface is comprised of disconnected pockets in the Brillouin zone, collective electron excitations can also attain a shortwave component when electrons transition between these pockets. In this work, we show that the band structure of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides gives rise to an intriguing mechanism through which shortwave plasmons are paired up with excitons. The coupling elucidates the origin for the optical sideband that is observed repeatedly in monolayers of WSe\(_2\) and WS\(_2\) but not understood. The theory makes it clear why exciton-plasmon coupling has the right conditions to manifest itself distinctly only in the optical spectra of electron-doped tungsten-based monolayers.

Two-dimensional transition-metal-dichalcogenide semiconductors have emerged as promising candidates for optoelectronic devices with unprecedented properties and ultra-compact performances. However atomically thin materials are highly sensitive to surrounding dielectric media, which imposes severe limitations to their practical applicability. Hence for their suitable integration into devices, the development of reliable encapsulation procedures that preserve their physical properties are required. Here, the excitonic photoluminescence of WSe2 monolayer flakes is assessed, at room temperature and 10 K, on mechanically exfoliated flakes encapsulated with SiOx and AlxOy layers employing chemical and physical deposition techniques. Conformal flakes coating on untreated - non-functionalized - flakes is successfully demonstrated by all the techniques except for atomic layer deposition, where a cluster-like oxide coating is observed. No significant compositional or strain state changes in the flakes are detected upon encapsulation by any of the techniques. Remarkably, our results evidence that the flakes' optical emission is strongly influenced by the quality of the encapsulating oxide - stoichiometry -. When the encapsulation is carried out with slightly sub-stoichiometric oxides two remarkable phenomena are observed. First, there is a clear electrical doping of the monolayers that is revealed through a dominant trion - charged exciton - room-temperature photoluminescence. Second, a strong decrease of the monolayers optical emission is measured attributed to non-radiative recombination processes and/or carriers transfer from the flake to the oxide. Power- and temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements further confirm that stoichiometric oxides obtained by physical deposition lead to a successful encapsulation., 30 pages, 6 figures

The recent discovery of semiconducting two-dimensional materials is predicted to lead to the introduction of a series of revolutionary optoelectronic components that are just a few atoms thick. Key remaining challenges for producing practical devices from these materials lie in improving the coupling of light into and out of single atomic layers, and in making these layers robust to the influence of their surrounding environment. We present a solution to tackle both of these problems simultaneously, by deterministically placing an epoxy based micro-lens directly onto the materials'surface. We show that this approach enhances the photoluminescence of tungsten diselenide (WSe2) monolayers by up to 300%, and nearly doubles the imaging resolution of the system. Furthermore, this solution fully encapsulates the monolayer, preventing it from physical damage and degradation in air. The optical solution we have developed could become a key enabling technology for the mass production of ultra-thin optical devices, such as quantum light emitting diodes.

ispartof: 2D MATERIALS vol:7 issue:2 status: published

Controlling Chiral Light Emission Circularly polarized light plays important roles in a number of applications such as displays, communication, and sensing. Thus, the ability to produce compact and readily controllable polarized light sources is important, and dichalcogenide materials such as tungsten diselenide may provide a route to such sources. Zhang et al. (p. 725 , published online 17 April; see the Perspective by Zaumseil ) formed an electric-double-layer transistor structure with WSe2 and used a gated ionic liquid to control the carrier density. Electrical control of the output light was achieved with the polarization being switched by reversing the polarity of the applied field and injected charge.

Van der Waals epitaxy holds great promise in producing high-quality films of 2D materials. However, scalable van der Waals epitaxy processes operating at low temperatures and low vacuum conditions are lacking. Herein, atomic layer deposition is used for van der Waals epitaxy of continuous multilayer films of 2D materials HfS2, MoS2, SnS2, and ZrS2 on muscovite mica and PbI2 on sapphire at temperatures between 75 degrees C and 400 degrees C. For the metal sulfides on mica, the main epitaxial relation is MS2 mica. Some domains rotated by 30 degrees are also observed corresponding to the MS2 mica alignment. In both cases, the presence of domains rotated by 60 degrees (mirror twins) is also expected. For PbI2 on sapphire, the epitaxial relation is PbI2 Al2O3 with no evidence of 30 degrees domains. For all of the studied systems there is relatively large in-plane mosaicity and in the PbI2/Al2O3 system some non-epitaxial domains are also observed. The study presents first steps of an approach towards a scalable and semiconductor industry compatible van der Waals epitaxy method.

Sc has been employed as an electron contact to a number of two-dimensional (2D) materials (e.g. MoS2, black phosphorous) and has enabled, at times, the lowest electron contact resistance. However, the extremely reactive nature of Sc leads to stringent processing requirements and metastable device performance with no true understanding of how to achieve consistent, high-performance Sc contacts. In this work, WSe2 transistors with impressive subthreshold slope (109 mV dec−1) and I ON/I OFF (106) are demonstrated without post-metallization processing by depositing Sc contacts in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) at room temperature (RT). The lowest electron Schottky barrier height (SBH) is achieved by mildly oxidizing the WSe2 in situ before metallization, which minimizes subsequent reactions between Sc and WSe2. Post metallization anneals in reducing environments (UHV, forming gas) degrade the I ON/I OFF by ~103 and increase the subthreshold slope by a factor of 10. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates the anneals increase the electron SBH by 0.4–0.5 eV and correspondingly convert 100% of the deposited Sc contacts to intermetallic or scandium oxide. Raman spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy highlight the highly exothermic reactions between Sc and WSe2, which consume at least one layer RT and at least three layers after the 400 °C anneals. The observed layer consumption necessitates multiple sacrificial WSe2 layers during fabrication. Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy elucidate the enhanced local density of states below the WSe2 Fermi level around individual Sc atoms in the WSe2 lattice, which directly connects the scandium selenide intermetallic with the unexpectedly large electron SBH. The interface chemistry and structural properties are correlated with Sc–WSe2 transistor and diode performance. The recommended combination of processing conditions and steps is provided to facilitate consistent Sc contacts to WSe2.