16 research outputs found
Large Proximity-Induced Spin Lifetime Anisotropy in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide/Graphene Heterostructures
Van-der-Waals heterostructures have become a paradigm for designing new
materials and devices, in which specific functionalities can be tailored by
combining the properties of the individual 2D layers. A single layer of
transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) is an excellent complement to graphene
(Gr), since the high quality of charge and spin transport in Gr is enriched
with the large spin-orbit coupling of the TMD via proximity effect. The
controllable spin-valley coupling makes these heterostructures particularly
attractive for spintronic and opto-valleytronic applications. In this work, we
study spin precession in a monolayer MoSe2/Gr heterostructure and observe an
unconventional, dramatic modulation of the spin signal, showing one order of
magnitude longer lifetime of out-of-plane spins (40 ps) compared with that of
in-plane spins (3.5 ps). This demonstration of a large spin lifetime anisotropy
in TMD/Gr heterostructures, is a direct evidence of induced spin-valley
coupling in Gr and provides an accessible route for manipulation of spin
dynamics in Gr, interfaced with TMDs.Comment: Main manuscript(6 pages, 3 figures), supplementary info(19 pages, 10
figures
Bilayer h-BN barriers for tunneling contacts in fully-encapsulated monolayer MoSe2 field-effect transistors
The performance of electronic and spintronic devices based on two-dimensional
semiconductors (2D SC) is largely dependent on the quality and resistance of
the metal/SC electrical contacts, as well as preservation of the intrinsic
properties of the SC channel. Direct Metal/SC interaction results in highly
resistive contacts due to formation of large Schottky barriers and considerably
affects the properties of the 2D SC. In this work, we address these two
important issues in monolayer Field-Effect transistors
(FETs). We encapsulate the channel with hexagonal Boron
Nitride (h-BN), using bilayer h-BN at the metal/SC interface. The bilayer h-BN
eliminates the metal/ chemical interactions, preserves the
electrical properties of and reduces the contact resistances
by prevention of Fermi-level pinning. We investigate electrical transport in
the monolayer FETs that yields close to intrinsic electron
mobilities () even at room
temperature. Moreover, we experimentally study the charge transport through
Metal/h-BN/ tunnel contacts and we explicitly show that the
dielectric bilayer of h-BN provides highly efficient gating (tuning the Fermi
energy) of the channel at the contact regions even with small
biases. Also we provide a theoretical model that allows to understand and
reproduce the experimental characteristics of the contacts. These
observations give an insight into the electrical behavior of the metal/h-BN/2D
SC heterostructure and introduce bilayer h-BN as a suitable choice for high
quality tunneling contacts that allows for low energy charge and spin
transport.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures (including supporting information
Semiconductor channel mediated photodoping in h-BN encapsulated monolayer MoSe2 phototransistors
In optically excited two-dimensional phototransistors, charge transport is
often affected by photodoping effects. Recently, it was shown that such effects
are especially strong and persistent for graphene/h-BN heterostructures, and
that they can be used to controllably tune the charge neutrality point of
graphene. In this work we investigate how this technique can be extended to h
BN encapsulated monolayer MoSe_2 phototransistors at room temperature. By
exposing the sample to 785 nm laser excitation we can controllably increase the
charge carrier density of the MoSe_2 channel by {\Delta}n {\approx} 4.45
{\times} 10^{12} cm^{-2}, equivalent to applying a back gate voltage of 60 V.
We also evaluate the efficiency of photodoping at different illumination
wavelengths, finding that it is strongly correlated with the light absorption
by the MoSe_2 layer, and maximizes for excitation on-resonance with the A
exciton absorption. This indicates that the photodoping process involves
optical absorption by the MoSe_2 channel, in contrast with the mechanism
earlier described for graphene/h-BN heterostroctures
MoRe Electrodes with 10 nm Nanogaps for Electrical Contact to Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbons.
Atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are predicted to exhibit exceptional edge-related properties, such as localized edge states, spin polarization, and half-metallicity. However, the absence of low-resistance nanoscale electrical contacts to the GNRs hinders harnessing their properties in field-effect transistors. In this paper, we make electrical contact with nine-atom-wide armchair GNRs using superconducting alloy MoRe as well as Pd (as a reference), which are two of the metals providing low-resistance contacts to carbon nanotubes. We take a step toward contacting a single GNR by fabricating electrodes with needlelike geometry, with about 20 nm tip diameter and 10 nm separation. To preserve the nanoscale geometry of the contacts, we develop a PMMA-assisted technique to transfer the GNRs onto the prepatterned electrodes. Our device characterizations as a function of bias voltage and temperature show thermally activated gate-tunable conductance in GNR-MoRe-based transistors
MoRe Electrodes with 10-nm Nanogaps for Electrical Contact to Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbons
Atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are predicted to exhibit
exceptional edge-related properties, such as localized edge states, spin
polarization, and half-metallicity. However, the absence of low-resistance
nano-scale electrical contacts to the GNRs hinders harnessing their properties
in field-effect transistors. In this paper, we make electrical contact with
9-atom-wide armchair GNRs using superconducting alloy MoRe as well as Pd (as a
reference), which are two of the metals providing low-resistance contacts to
carbon nanotubes. We take a step towards contacting a single GNR by fabrication
of electrodes with a needle-like geometry, with about 20 nm tip diameter and 10
nm separation. To preserve the nano-scale geometry of the contacts, we develop
a PMMA-assisted technique to transfer the GNRs onto the pre-patterned
electrodes. Our device characterizations as a function of bias-voltage and
temperature, show a thermally-activated gate-tunable conductance in the
GNR-MoRe-based transistors.Comment: Main text: 17 pages, 4 figures Supporting information: 19 pages, 9
figure
A ballistic electron source with magnetically-controlled valley polarization in bilayer graphene
The achievement of valley-polarized electron currents is a cornerstone for
the realization of valleytronic devices. Here, we report on ballistic coherent
transport experiments where two opposite quantum point contacts (QPCs) are
defined by electrostatic gating in a bilayer graphene (BLG) channel. By
steering the ballistic currents with an out-of-plane magnetic field we observe
two current jets, a consequence of valley-dependent trigonal warping. Tuning
the BLG carrier density and number of QPC modes (m) with a gate voltage we find
that the two jets are present for m=1 and up to m=6, indicating the robustness
of the effect. Semiclassical simulations which account for size quantization
and trigonal warping of the Fermi surface quantitatively reproduce our data
without fitting parameters, confirming the origin of the signals. In addition,
our model shows that the ballistic currents collected for non-zero magnetic
fields are valley-polarized independently of m, but their polarization depends
on the magnetic field sign, envisioning such devices as ballistic current
sources with tuneable valley-polarization.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure
The role of device asymmetries and Schottky barriers on the helicity-dependent photoresponse of 2D phototransistors
Circular photocurrents (CPC), namely circular photogalvanic (CPGE) and photon drag effects, have recently been reported both in monolayer and multilayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) phototransistors. However, the underlying physics for the emergence of these effects are not yet fully understood. In particular, the emergence of CPGE is not compatible with the D3h crystal symmetry of two-dimensional TMDs, and should only be possible if the symmetry of the electronic states is reduced by influences such as an external electric field or mechanical strain. Schottky contacts, nearly ubiquitous in TMD-based transistors, can provide the high electric fields causing a symmetry breaking in the devices. Here, we investigate the effect of these Schottky contacts on the CPC by characterizing the helicity-dependent photoresponse of monolayer MoSe2 devices both with direct metal-MoSe2 Schottky contacts and with h-BN tunnel barriers at the contacts. We find that, when Schottky barriers are present in the device, additional contributions to CPC become allowed, resulting in emergence of CPC for illumination at normal incidence
Electrical and thermal generation of spin currents by magnetic bilayer graphene
Ultracompact spintronic devices greatly benefit from the implementation of two-dimensional materials that provide large spin polarization of charge current together with long-distance transfer of spin information. Here spin-transport measurements in bilayer graphene evidence a strong spin–charge coupling due to a large induced exchange interaction by the proximity of an interlayer antiferromagnet (CrSBr). This results in the direct detection of the spin polarization of conductivity (up to 14%) and a spin-dependent Seebeck effect in the magnetic graphene. The efficient electrical and thermal spin–current generation is the most technologically relevant aspect of magnetism in graphene, controlled here by the antiferromagnetic dynamics of CrSBr. The high sensitivity of spin transport in graphene to the magnetization of the outermost layer of the adjacent antiferromagnet, furthermore, enables the read-out of a single magnetic sublattice. The combination of gate-tunable spin-dependent conductivity and Seebeck coefficient with long-distance spin transport in a single two-dimensional material promises ultrathin magnetic memory and sensory devices based on magnetic graphene