Resolving electron and hole transport properties in semiconductor materials by constant light-induced magneto transport.

The knowledge of minority and majority charge carrier properties enables controlling the performance of solar cells, transistors, detectors, sensors, and LEDs. Here, we developed the constant light induced magneto transport method which resolves electron and hole mobility, lifetime, diffusion coefficient and length, and quasi-Fermi level splitting. We demonstrate the implication of the constant light induced magneto transport for silicon and metal halide perovskite films. We resolve the transport properties of electrons and holes predicting the material's effectiveness for solar cell application without making the full device. The accessibility of fourteen material parameters paves the way for in-depth exploration of causal mechanisms limiting the efficiency and functionality of material structures. To demonstrate broad applicability, we further characterized twelve materials with drift mobilities spanning from 10-3 to 103 cm2V-1s-1 and lifetimes varying between 10-9 and 10-3 seconds. The universality of our method its potential to advance optoelectronic devices in various technological fields.

Crystallize It before It Diffuses: Kinetic Stabilization of Thin-Film Phosphorus-Rich Semiconductor CuP2.

Numerous phosphorus-rich metal phosphides containing both P-P bonds and metal-P bonds are known from the solid-state chemistry literature. A method to grow these materials in thin-film form would be desirable, as thin films are required in many applications and they are an ideal platform for high-throughput studies. In addition, the high density and smooth surfaces achievable in thin films are a significant advantage for characterization of transport and optical properties. Despite these benefits, there is hardly any published work on even the simplest binary phosphorus-rich phosphide films. Here, we demonstrate growth of single-phase CuP2 films by a two-step process involving reactive sputtering of amorphous CuP2+x and rapid annealing in an inert atmosphere. At the crystallization temperature, CuP2 is thermodynamically unstable with respect to Cu3P and P4. However, CuP2 can be stabilized if the amorphous precursors are mixed on the atomic scale and are sufficiently close to the desired composition (neither too P poor nor too P rich). Fast formation of polycrystalline CuP2, combined with a short annealing time, makes it possible to bypass the diffusion processes responsible for decomposition. We find that thin-film CuP2 is a 1.5 eV band gap semiconductor with interesting properties, such as a high optical absorption coefficient (above 105 cm-1), low thermal conductivity (1.1 W/(K m)), and composition-insensitive electrical conductivity (around 1 S/cm). We anticipate that our processing route can be extended to other phosphorus-rich phosphides that are still awaiting thin-film synthesis and will lead to a more complete understanding of these materials and of their potential applications.

Water Adsorption Enhances Electrical Conductivity in Transparent P-Type CuI.

CuI has been recently rediscovered as a p-type transparent conductor with a high figure of merit. Even though many metal iodides are hygroscopic, the effect of moisture on the electrical properties of CuI has not been clarified. In this work, we observe a 2-fold increase in the conductivity of CuI after exposure to ambient humidity for 5 h, followed by slight long-term degradation. Simultaneously, the work function of CuI decreases by almost 1 eV, which can explain the large spread in the previously reported work function values. The conductivity increase is partially reversible and is maximized at intermediate humidity levels. On the basis of the large intragrain mobility measured by THz spectroscopy, we suggest that hydration of grain boundaries may be beneficial for the overall hole mobility.

The Effect of the MEMS Measurement Platform Design on the Seebeck Coefficient Measurement of a Single Nanowire.

In order to study the thermoelectric properties of individual nanowires, a thermoelectric nanowire characterization platform (TNCP) has been previously developed and used in our chair. Here, we report on a redesigned platform aiming to optimize performance, mechanical stability and usability. We compare both platforms for electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient for an individual Ag nanowire of the previously-used batch and for comparable measurement conditions. By this, the measurement performance of both designs can be investigated. As a result, whereas the electrical conductivity is comparable, the Seebeck coefficient shows a 50% deviation with respect to the previous studies. We discuss the possible effects of the platform design on the thermoelectric measurements. One reason for the deviation of the Seebeck coefficient is the design of the platform leading to temperature gradients along the bond pads. We further analyze the effect of bonding materials Au and Pt, as well as the effect of temperature distributions along the bond pads used for the thermovoltage acquisition. Another major reason for the variation of the measurement results is the non-homogeneous temperature distribution along the thermometer. We conclude that for the measurement of small Seebeck coefficients, an isothermal positioning of voltage-probing bond pads, as well as a constant temperature profile at the measurement zone are essential.

Free-standing millimetre-long Bi2Te3 sub-micron belts catalyzed by TiO2 nanoparticles.

Physical vapour deposition (PVD) is used to grow millimetre-long Bi2Te3 sub-micron belts catalysed by TiO2 nanoparticles. The catalytic efficiency of TiO2 nanoparticles for the nanostructure growth is compared with the catalyst-free growth employing scanning electron microscopy. The catalyst-coated and catalyst-free substrates are arranged side-by-side, and overgrown at the same time, to assure identical growth conditions in the PVD furnace. It is found that the catalyst enhances the yield of the belts. Very long belts were achieved with a growth rate of 28 nm/min. A ∼1-mm-long belt with a rectangular cross section was obtained after 8 h of growth. The thickness and width were determined by atomic force microscopy, and their ratio is ∼1:10. The chemical composition was determined to be stoichiometric Bi2Te3 using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Temperature-dependent conductivity measurements show a characteristic increase of the conductivity at low temperatures. The room temperature conductivity of 0.20 × 10(5) S m (-1) indicates an excellent sample quality.

Dielectrophoretic investigation of Bi2Te3 nanowires-a microfabricated thermoelectric characterization platform for measuring the thermoelectric and structural properties of single nanowires.

In this article a microfabricated thermoelectric nanowire characterization platform to investigate the thermoelectric and structural properties of single nanowires is presented. By means of dielectrophoresis (DEP), a method to manipulate and orient nanowires in a controlled way to assemble them onto our measurement platform is introduced. The thermoelectric platform fabricated with optimally designed DEP electrodes results in a yield of nanowire assembly of approximately 90% under an applied peak-to-peak ac signal Vpp = 10 V and frequency f = 20 MHz within a series of 200 experiments. Ohmic contacts between the aligned single nanowire and the electrodes on the platform are established by electron beam-induced deposition. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of electrochemically synthesized Bi2Te3 nanowires are measured to be -51 µV K(-1) and (943 ± 160)/(Ω(-1) cm(-1)), respectively. Chemical composition and crystallographic structure are obtained using transmission electron microscopy. The selected nanowire is observed to be single crystalline over its entire length and no grain boundaries are detected. At the surface of the nanowire, 66.1 ± 1.1 at.% Te and 34.9 ± 1.1 at.% Bi are observed. In contrast, chemical composition of 64.2 at.% Te and 35.8 at.% Bi is detected in the thick center of the nanowire.

Solid phases of spatially nanoconfined oxygen: a neutron scattering study.

We present a comprehensive neutron scattering study on solid oxygen spatially confined in 12 nm wide alumina nanochannels. Elastic scattering experiments reveal a structural phase sequence known from bulk oxygen. With decreasing temperature cubic γ-, orthorhombic ß- and monoclinic α-phases are unambiguously identified in confinement. Weak antiferromagnetic ordering is observed in the confined monoclinic α-phase. Rocking scans reveal that oxygen nanocrystals inside the tubular channels do not form an isotropic powder. Rather, they exhibit preferred orientations depending on thermal history and the very mechanisms, which guide the structural transitions.