Coherently Strained Si-SixGe1-x Core-Shell Nanowire Heterostructures.

Coherently strained Si-SixGe1-x core-shell nanowire heterostructures are expected to possess a positive shell-to-core conduction band offset, allowing for quantum confinement of electrons in the Si core. We report the growth of epitaxial, coherently strained Si-SixGe1-x core-shell heterostructures through the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism for the Si core, followed in situ by the epitaxial SixGe1-x shell growth using ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition. The Raman spectra of individual nanowires reveal peaks associated with the Si-Si optical phonon mode in the Si core and the Si-Si, Si-Ge, and Ge-Ge vibrational modes of the SixGe1-x shell. The core Si-Si mode displays a clear red-shift compared to unstrained, bare Si nanowires thanks to the lattice mismatch-induced tensile strain, in agreement with calculated values using a finite-element continuum elasticity model combined with lattice dynamic theory. N-type field-effect transistors using Si-SixGe1-x core-shell nanowires as channel are demonstrated.

Giant Frictional Drag in Double Bilayer Graphene Heterostructures.

We study the frictional drag between carriers in two bilayer graphene flakes separated by a 2-5 nm thick hexagonal boron nitride dielectric. At temperatures (T) lower than ∼10 K, we observe a large anomalous negative drag emerging predominantly near the drag layer charge neutrality. The anomalous drag resistivity increases dramatically with reducing T, and becomes comparable to the layer resistivity at the lowest T=1.5 K. At low T the drag resistivity exhibits a breakdown of layer reciprocity. A comparison of the drag resistivity and the drag layer Peltier coefficient suggests a thermoelectric origin of this anomalous drag.

Strain and Hole Gas Induced Raman Shifts in Ge-Si(x)Ge(1-x) Core-Shell Nanowires Using Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

We report tip-enhanced and conventional Raman spectroscopy studies of Ge-Si0.5Ge0.5 core-shell nanowires in which we observe two distinct Ge-Ge vibrational mode Raman peaks associated with vibrations in the Ge nanowire core and at the Ge-Si0.5Ge0.5 interface at which a quantum-confined hole gas is formed. Tip enhanced Raman measurements show dramatically increased sensitivity to the modes at the Ge-Si0.5Ge0.5 interface and a shift in position of this mode due to plasmonic field localization at the tip apex and the resulting change in phonon self-energy caused by increased coupling between phonons and intervalence-band carrier transitions.

Band offset and negative compressibility in graphene-MoS2 heterostructures.

We use electron transport to characterize monolayer graphene-multilayer MoS2 heterostructures. Our samples show ambipolar characteristics and conductivity saturation on the electron branch that signals the onset of MoS2 conduction band population. Surprisingly, the carrier density in graphene decreases with gate bias once MoS2 is populated, demonstrating negative compressibility in MoS2. We are able to interpret our measurements quantitatively by accounting for disorder and using the random phase approximation (RPA) for the exchange and correlation energies of both Dirac and parabolic-band two-dimensional electron gases. This interpretation allows us to extract the energetic offset between the conduction band edge of MoS2 and the Dirac point of graphene.

Role of confinement on carrier transport in Ge-Si(x)Ge(1-x) core-shell nanowires.

We examine the impact of shell content and the associated hole confinement on carrier transport in Ge-Si(x)Ge(1-x) core-shell nanowires (NWs). Using NWs with different Si(x)Ge(1-x) shell compositions (x = 0.5 and 0.7), we fabricate NW field-effect transistors (FETs) with highly doped source/drain and examine their characteristics dependence on shell content. The results demonstrate a 2-fold higher mobility at room temperature, and a 3-fold higher mobility at 77K in the NW FETs with higher (x = 0.7) Si shell content by comparison to those with lower (x = 0.5) Si shell content. Moreover, the carrier mobility shows a stronger temperature dependence in Ge-Si(x)Ge(1-x) core-shell NWs with high Si content, indicating a reduced charge impurity scattering. The results establish that carrier confinement plays a key role in realizing high mobility core-shell NW FETs.

Band Alignment in WSe2-Graphene Heterostructures.

Using different types of WSe2 and graphene-based heterostructures, we experimentally determine the offset between the graphene neutrality point and the WSe2 conduction and valence band edges, as well as the WSe2 dielectric constant along the c-axis. In a first heterostructure, consisting of WSe2-on-graphene, we use the WSe2 layer as the top dielectric in dual-gated graphene field-effect transistors to determine the WSe2 capacitance as a function of thickness, and the WSe2 dielectric constant along the c-axis. In a second heterostructure consisting of graphene-on-WSe2, the lateral electron transport shows ambipolar behavior characteristic of graphene combined with a conductivity saturation at sufficiently high positive (negative) gate bias, associated with carrier population of the conduction (valence) band in WSe2. By combining the experimental results from both heterostructures, we determine the band offset between the graphene charge neutrality point, and the WSe2 conduction and valence band edges.

Radial modulation doping in core-shell nanowires.

Semiconductor nanowires are potential candidates for applications in quantum information processing, Josephson junctions and field-effect transistors and provide a unique test bed for low-dimensional physical phenomena. The ability to fabricate nanowire heterostructures with atomically flat, defect-free interfaces enables energy band engineering in both axial and radial directions. The design of radial, or core-shell, nanowire heterostructures relies on energy band offsets that confine charge carriers into the core region, potentially reducing scattering from charged impurities on the nanowire surface. Key to the design of such nanoscale heterostructures is a fundamental understanding of the heterointerface properties, particularly energy band offsets and strain. The charge-transfer and confinement mechanism can be used to achieve modulation doping in core-shell structures. By selectively doping the shell, which has a larger bandgap, charge carriers are donated and confined in the core, generating a quasi-one-dimensional electron system with higher mobility. Here, we demonstrate radial modulation doping in coherently strained Ge-SixGe1-x core-shell nanowires and a technique to directly measure their valence band offset. Radial modulation doping is achieved by incorporating a B-doped layer during epitaxial shell growth. In contrast to previous work showing site-selective doping in Ge-Si core-shell nanowires, we find both an enhancement in peak hole mobility compared with undoped nanowires and observe a decoupling of electron transport in the core and shell regions. This decoupling stems from the higher carrier mobility in the core than in the shell and allows a direct measurement of the valence band offset for nanowires of various shell compositions.

Bilayer graphene. Chemical potential and quantum Hall ferromagnetism in bilayer graphene.

Bilayer graphene has a distinctive electronic structure influenced by a complex interplay between various degrees of freedom. We probed its chemical potential using double bilayer graphene heterostructures, separated by a hexagonal boron nitride dielectric. The chemical potential has a nonlinear carrier density dependence and bears signatures of electron-electron interactions. The data allowed a direct measurement of the electric field-induced bandgap at zero magnetic field, the orbital Landau level (LL) energies, and the broken-symmetry quantum Hall state gaps at high magnetic fields. We observe spin-to-valley polarized transitions for all half-filled LLs, as well as emerging phases at filling factors ν = 0 and ν = ±2. Furthermore, the data reveal interaction-driven negative compressibility and electron-hole asymmetry in N = 0, 1 LLs.