Non-equilibrium dynamics of electron emission from cold and hot graphene under proton irradiation

Characteristic properties of secondary electrons emitted from irradiated two-dimensional materials arise from multi-length and time-scale relaxation processes that connect the initial non-equilibrium excited electron distribution with their eventual emission. To understand these processes, which are critical for using secondary electrons as high-resolution thermalization probes, we combine first-principles real-time electron dynamics with modern experiments. Our data for cold and hot proton-irradiated graphene shows signatures of kinetic and potential emission and generally good agreement for electron yields between experiment and theory. The duration of the emission pulse is about 1.5 femtoseconds, indicating high time resolution when used as a probe. Our newly developed method to predict kinetic energy spectra shows good agreement with electron and ion irradiation experiments and prior models. We find that lattice temperature significantly increases secondary electron emission, whereas electron temperature has a negligible effect

Distance dependence of the phase signal in eddy current microscopy

Atomic force microscopy using a magnetic tip is a promising tool for investigating conductivity on the nano-scale. By the oscillating magnetic tip eddy currents are induced in the conducting parts of the sample which can be detected in the phase signal of the cantilever. However, the origin of the phase signal is still controversial because theoretical calculations using a monopole appoximation for taking the electromagnetic forces acting on the tip into account yield an effect which is too small by more than two orders of magnitude. In order to determine the origin of the signal we used especially prepared gold nano patterns embedded in a non-conducting polycarbonate matrix and measured the distance dependence of the phase signal. Our data clearly shows that the interacting forces are long ranged and therefore, are likely due to the electromagnetic interaction between the magnetic tip and the conducting parts of the surface. Due to the long range character of the interaction a change in conductivity of $\Delta\sigma=4,5\cdot10^{7} (\Omega$m$)^{-1}$ can be detected far away from the surface without any interference from the topography

Isolating the Nonlinear Optical Response of a MoS2_2 Monolayer under Extreme Screening of a Metal Substrate

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) monolayers, as two-dimensional (2D) direct bandgap semiconductors, hold promise for advanced optoelectronic and photocatalytic devices. Interaction with three-dimensional (3D) metals, like Au, profoundly affects their optical properties, posing challenges in characterizing the monolayer's optical responses within the semiconductor-metal junction. In this study, using precise polarization-controlled final-state sum frequency generation (FS-SFG), we successfully isolated the optical responses of a MoS$_2$ monolayer from a MoS$_2$/Au junction. The resulting SFG spectra exhibit a linear lineshape, devoid of A or B exciton features, attributed to the strong dielectric screening and substrate induced doping. The linear lineshape illustrates the expected constant density of states (DOS) at the band edge of the 2D semiconductor, a feature often obscured by excitonic interactions in week-screening conditions such as in a free-standing monolayer. Extrapolation yields the onset of a direct quasiparticle bandgap of about $1.65\pm0.20$ eV, indicating a strong bandgap renormalization. This study not only enriches our understanding of the optical responses of a 2D semiconductor in extreme screening conditions but also provides a critical reference for advancing 2D semiconductor-based photocatalytic applications.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures + supplemental materia

Characterization of the electric transport properties of black phosphorous back-gated field-effect transistors

We use thin layers of exfoliated black phosphorus to realize back-gated field-effect transistors in which the Si/SiO2 substrate is exploited as gate electrode. To prevent the detrimental effect of the air exposure the devices are protected by Poly(methyl methacrylate). We report the observation of an improved contact resistance at the interface between the layered material and the metal contact by electrical conditioning. We also demonstrate the existence of a hysteresis in the transfer characteristics that improves by increasing the gate voltage sweep range. Finally, we prove the suitability of such transistors as memory devices

Temperature dependence of the energy dissipation in dynamic force microscopy

The dissipation of energy in dynamic force microscopy is usually described in terms of an adhesion hysteresis mechanism. This mechanism should become less efficient with increasing temperature. To verify this prediction we have measured topography and dissipation data with dynamic force microscopy in the temperature range from 100 K up to 300 K. We used 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) grown on KBr(001), both materials exhibiting a strong dissipation signal at large frequency shifts. At room temperature, the energy dissipated into the sample (or tip) is 1.9 eV/cycle for PTCDA and 2.7 eV/cycle for KBr, respectively, and is in good agreement with an adhesion hysteresis mechanism. The energy dissipation over the PTCDA surface decreases with increasing temperature yielding a negative temperature coefficient. For the KBr substrate, we find the opposite behaviour: an increase of dissipated energy with increasing temperature. While the negative temperature coefficient in case of PTCDA agrees rather well with the adhesion hysteresis model, the positive slope found for KBr points to a hitherto unknown dissipation mechanism