Graphene under hydrostatic pressure

In-situ high pressure Raman spectroscopy is used to study monolayer, bilayer and few-layer graphene samples supported on silicon in a diamond anvil cell to 3.5 GPa. The results show that monolayer graphene adheres to the silicon substrate under compressive stress. A clear trend in this behaviour as a function of graphene sample thickness is observed. We also study unsupported graphene samples in a diamond anvil cell to 8 GPa, and show that the properties of graphene under compression are intrinsically similar to graphite. Our results demonstrate the differing effects of uniaxial and biaxial strain on the electronic bandstructure.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review B with minor change

Electronic Properties and Structure of Boron–Hydrogen Complexes in Crystalline Silicon

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-06-27, rev-recd 2021-09-04, pub-electronic 2021-09-17Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Government of the PhlippinesFunder: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia in Portugal; Grant(s): UIDB/50025/2020, UIDP/50025/2020The subject of hydrogen–boron interactions in crystalline silicon is revisited with reference to light and elevated temperature‐induced degradation (LeTID) in boron‐doped solar silicon. Ab initio modeling of structure, binding energy, and electronic properties of complexes incorporating a substitutional boron and one or two hydrogen atoms is performed. From the calculations, it is confirmed that a BH pair is electrically inert. It is found that boron can bind two H atoms. The resulting BH2 complex is a donor with a transition level estimated at E c–0.24 eV. Experimentally, the electrically active defects in n‐type Czochralski‐grown Si crystals co‐doped with phosphorus and boron, into which hydrogen is introduced by different methods, are investigated using junction capacitance techniques. In the deep‐level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) spectra of hydrogenated Si:P + B crystals subjected to heat‐treatments at 100 °C under reverse bias, an electron emission signal with an activation energy of ≈0.175 eV is detected. The trap is a donor with electronic properties close to those predicted for boron–dihydrogen. The donor character of BH2 suggests that it can be a very efficient recombination center of minority carriers in B‐doped p‐type Si crystals. A sequence of boron–hydrogen reactions, which can be related to the LeTID effect in Si:B is proposed

Graphene oxide integrated silicon photonics for detection of vapour phase volatile organic compounds

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-01-07, accepted 2020-05-17, registration 2020-05-20, pub-electronic 2020-06-12, online 2020-06-12, collection 2020-12Publication status: PublishedAbstract: The optical response of a graphene oxide integrated silicon micro-ring resonator (GOMRR) to a range of vapour phase Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is reported. The response of the GOMRR to all but one (hexane) of the VOCs tested is significantly higher than that of the uncoated (control) silicon MRR, for the same vapour flow rate. An iterative Finite Difference Eigenmode (FDE) simulation reveals that the sensitivity of the GO integrated device (in terms of RIU/nm) is enhanced by a factor of ~2, which is coupled with a lower limit of detection. Critically, the simulations reveal that the strength of the optical response is determined by molecular specific changes in the local refractive index probed by the evanescent field of the guided optical mode in the device. Analytical modelling of the experimental data, based on Hill-Langmuir adsorption characteristics, suggests that these changes in the local refractive index are determined by the degree of molecular cooperativity, which is enhanced for molecules with a polarity that is high, relative to their kinetic diameter. We believe this reflects a molecular dependent capillary condensation within the graphene oxide interlayers, which, when combined with highly sensitive optical detection, provides a potential route for discriminating between different vapour phase VOCs

Indium‐Doped Silicon for Solar Cells—Light‐Induced Degradation and Deep‐Level Traps

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-02-28, rev-recd 2021-06-11, pub-electronic 2021-07-21Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: EPSRC (UK); Grant(s): EP/TO25131/1Funder: Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Government of the PhlippinesFunder: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100008382; Grant(s): UIDB/50025/2020, UIDP/50025/2020Indium‐doped silicon is considered a possible p‐type material for solar cells to avoid light‐induced degradation (LID), which occurs in cells made from boron‐doped Czochralski (Cz) silicon. Herein, the defect reactions associated with indium‐related LID are examined and a deep donor is detected, which is attributed to a negative‐U defect believed to be InsO2. In the presence of minority carriers or above bandgap light, the deep donor transforms to a shallow acceptor. An analogous transformation in boron‐doped material is related to the BsO2 defect that is a precursor of the center responsible for BO LID. The electronic properties of InsO2 are determined and compared to those of the BsO2 defect. Structures of the BsO2 and InsO2 defects in different charges states are found using first‐principles modeling. The results of the modeling can explain both the similarities and the differences between the BsO2 and InsO2 properties