Ultrafast Transient Terahertz Conductivity of Monolayer MoS₂ and WSe₂ Grown by Chemical Vapor Deposition

We have measured ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in monolayers and trilayers of the transition metal dichalcogenides MoS₂ and WSe₂ using a combination of time-resolved photoluminescence and terahertz spectroscopy. We recorded a photoconductivity and photoluminescence response time of just 350 fs from CVD-grown monolayer MoS₂, and 1 ps from trilayer MoS₂ and monolayer WSe₂. Our results indicate the potential of these materials as high-speed optoelectronic materials

Electron-Beam Patterning of Polymer Electrolyte Films To Make Multiple Nanoscale Gates for Nanowire Transistors

We report an electron-beam based method for the nanoscale patterning of the poly­(ethylene oxide)/LiClO₄ polymer electrolyte. We use the patterned polymer electrolyte as a high capacitance gate dielectric in single nanowire transistors and obtain subthreshold swings comparable to conventional metal/oxide wrap-gated nanowire transistors. Patterning eliminates gate/contact overlap, which reduces parasitic effects and enables multiple, independently controllable gates. The method’s simplicity broadens the scope for using polymer electrolyte gating in studies of nanowires and other nanoscale devices

Ultralow Surface Recombination Velocity in InP Nanowires Probed by Terahertz Spectroscopy

Using transient terahertz photoconductivity measurements, we have made noncontact, room temperature measurements of the ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in InP nanowires. InP nanowires exhibited a very long photoconductivity lifetime of over 1 ns, and carrier lifetimes were remarkably insensitive to surface states despite the large nanowire surface area-to-volume ratio. An exceptionally low surface recombination velocity (170 cm/s) was recorded at room temperature. These results suggest that InP nanowires are prime candidates for optoelectronic devices, particularly photovoltaic devices, without the need for surface passivation. We found that the carrier mobility is not limited by nanowire diameter but is strongly limited by the presence of planar crystallographic defects such as stacking faults in these predominantly wurtzite nanowires. These findings show the great potential of very narrow InP nanowires for electronic devices but indicate that improvements in the crystallographic uniformity of InP nanowires will be critical for future nanowire device engineering

Optimizing the Energy Offset between Dye and Hole-Transporting Material in Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The power-conversion efficiency of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells can be optimized by reducing the energy offset between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels of dye and hole-transporting material (HTM) to minimize the loss-in-potential. Here, we report a study of three novel HTMs with HOMO levels slightly above and below the one of the commonly used HTM 2,2′,7,7′- tetrakis­(<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-di-<i>p</i>-methoxyphenylamino)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) to systematically explore this possibility. Using transient absorption spectroscopy and employing the ruthenium based dye Z907 as sensitizer, it is shown that, despite one new HTM showing a 100% hole-transfer yield, all devices based on the new HTMs performed worse than those incorporating spiro-OMeTAD. We further demonstrate that the design of the HTM has an additional impact on the electronic density of states present at the TiO₂ electrode surface and hence influences not only hole- but also electron-transfer from the sensitizer. These results provide insight into the complex influence of the HTM on charge transfer and provide guidance for the molecular design of new materials

Metasurface spectrometers beyond resolution-sensitivity constraints

Optical spectroscopy plays an essential role across scientific research and industry for non-contact materials analysis1-3, increasingly through in-situ or portable platforms4-6. However, when considering low-light-level applications, conventional spectrometer designs necessitate a compromise between their resolution and sensitivity7,8, especially as device and detector dimensions are scaled down. Here, we report on a miniaturizable spectrometer platform where light throughput onto the detector is instead enhanced as the resolution is increased. This planar, CMOS-compatible platform is based around metasurface encoders designed to exhibit photonic bound states in the continuum9, where operational range can be altered or extended simply through adjusting geometric parameters. This system can enhance photon collection efficiency by up to two orders of magnitude versus conventional designs; we demonstrate this sensitivity advantage through ultra-low-intensity fluorescent and astrophotonic spectroscopy. This work represents a step forward for the practical utility of spectrometers, affording a route to integrated, chip-based devices that maintain high resolution and SNR without requiring prohibitively long integration times