Contact electrification between two conducting materials is expected to exhibit length scale effect because the screening effect will diminish in conductors as a function of material dimensions. As a consequence, the interfacial charge accumulation will diffuse away from interface/surface to a critical penetration depth as a function of material dimension. This work experimentally demonstrates the length scale effect in a permalloy and degenerately doped p-Si heterostructure system due to the flexoelectricity mediated contact electrification. The contact electrification induced interlayer charge transfer is observed through the whole thickness in case of 400 nm thick p-Si samples. Whereas, the charge carrier diffuses to a depth of 51 nm from the interface in case of 2 um thick Si. The length scale effect also leads to metal-insulator transition in p-Si layers in both cases. These results present a new opportunity to tailor the physical properties in conducting materials using contact electrification.
The zeroth Landau level (0LL) in graphene has emerged as a flat-band platform in which distinct many-body phases can be explored with unprecedented control by simply tuning the strength and/or direction of magnetic fields1-22. A rich set of quantum Hall ferromagnetic (QHFM) phases with different lattice-scale symmetry-breaking orders are predicted to be realized in high magnetic fields when the 0LL in graphene is half filled1-8,13-16. Here we report a field-tuned continuous quantum phase transition of different valley orderings in QHFM of charge-neutral graphene on insulating tungsten diseleni…
Stacked van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures where semi-conducting two-dimensional (2D) materials are contacted by overlayed graphene electrodes enable atomically-thin, flexible electronics. We use first-principles quantum transport simulations of graphene-contacted MoS2 devices to show how the transistor effect critically depends on the stacking configuration relative to the gate electrode. We can trace this behavior to the stacking-dependent response of the contact region to the capacitive electric field induced by the gate. The contact resistance is a central parameter and our observation e…
Universal scaling of the Anomalous Hall voltage of magnetic layer with the adjacent conducting layer
State Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Physics and Chip Technologies, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院半导体研究所半导体物理与芯片技术国家重点实验室）；Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学材料科学与光电技术学院）
Confinement of the electron gas along one of the spatial directions opens an avenue for studying fundamentals of quantum transport along the side of numerous practical electronic applications, with high-electron-mobility transistors being a prominent example. A heterojunction of two materials with dissimilar electronic polarisation can be used for engineering of the conducting channel. Extension of this concept to single-layer materials leads to one-dimensional electron gas (1DEG). MoS2/WS2 lateral heterostructure is used as a prototype for the realisation of 1DEG. The electronic polarisation …
We demonstrate a graphene-MoS2 architecture integrating multiple field-effect transistors and we independently probe and correlate the conducting properties of van der Waals coupled graphene-MoS2 contacts with the ones of the MoS2 channels. Devices are fabricated starting from high-quality single-crystal monolayers grown by chemical vapor deposition and characterized by scanning Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Transconductance curves of MoS2 are compared with the current-voltage characteristics of graphene contact stripes, revealing a significant suppression of transport on the n-s…
We perform a comprehensive analysis of the spectrum of graphene plasmons which arise when a pair of sheets are confined between conducting materials. The associated enhanced local fields may be employed in the manipulation of light on the nanoscale by adjusting the separation between the graphene layers, the energy band gap as well as the concentration of charge carriers in the conducting media surrounding the two-dimensional (2D) layers. We present a theoretical formalism, based on the calculation of the surface response function, for determining the plasmon spectrum of an encapsulated pair o…
Topological insulators (TIs) are bulk insulators that possess robust helical conducting states along their interfaces with conventional insulators. A tremendous research effort has recently been devoted to TI-based heterostructures, in which conventional proximity effects give rise to a series of exotic physical phenomena. This paper reviews our recent works on the potential existence of topological proximity effects at the interface between a topological insulator and a normal insulator or other topologically trivial systems. Using first-principles approaches, we have established the tunabili…
We show that hybrid structures of topological insulators and materials without topological protection can be employed to create perfectly conducting channels hosted in the non-topological part. These states inherit the topological protection from the proximity of the topological insulator but are more fragile to time-reversal symmetry breaking because of their extended character. We explore their formation in the band structure of model hybrid systems as well as realistic heterostructures involving HgTe/CdTe-based two-dimensional topological insulators. Using numerical quantum transport calcul…
We show that the growth of the heterostructure LaGaO3/SrTiO3 yields the formation of a highly conductive interface. Our samples were carefully analyzed by high resolution electron microscopy, in order to assess their crystal perfection and to evaluate the abruptness of the interface. Their carrier density and sheet resistance are compared to the case of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and a superconducting transition is found. The results open the route to widening the field of polar-non polar interfaces, pose some phenomenological constrains to their underlying physics and highlight the chance of tailoring the…
The gating effect achieved by an ionic liquid and its electric double layer allows for charge transfer which can be an order of magnitude larger than with conventional dielectrics. However, the large charged ions also causes inevitable Coulomb scattering in the conducting channel formed at the interface, which can limit the carrier mobility enhancement. In this work, we study the effect of the LaAlO3 thickness on the transport properties in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures by ionic liquid gating. We find that the transport properties of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface are dominated by the intrinsic …
We show that odd-parity superconductivity occurs in multilayer Rashba systems without requiring spin-triplet Cooper pairs. A pairing interaction in the spin-singlet channel stabilizes the odd-parity pair-density-wave (PDW) state in the magnetic field parallel to the two-dimensional conducting plane. It is shown that the layer-dependent Rashba spin-orbit coupling and the orbital effect play essential roles for the PDW state in binary and tricolor heterostructures. We demonstrate that the odd-parity PDW state is a symmetry-protected topological superconducting state characterized by the one-dime…
Advancements in nanoscale engineering of oxide interfaces and heterostructures have led to discoveries of emergent phenomena and new artificial materials. Combining the strengths of reactive molecular-beam epitaxy and pulsed-laser deposition, we show here, with examples of Sr1+xTi1-xO3+delta, Ruddlesden-Popper phase Lan+1NinO3n+1 (n = 4), and LaAl1+yO3(1+0.5y)/SrTiO3 interfaces, that atomic layer-by-layer laser molecular-beam epitaxy (ALL-Laser MBE) significantly advances the state of the art in constructing oxide materials with atomic layer precision and control over stoichiometry. With ALL-L…
Complex van der Waals heterostructures from layered molecular stacks are promising optoelectronic materials offering means to efficient, modular charge separation and collection layers. The effect of stacking in the electrodynamics of such hybrid organic-inorganic two-dimensional materials remains largely unexplored, whereby molecular scale engineering could lead to advanced optical phenomena. For instance, tunable Fano engineering could make possible on-demand transparent conducting layers or photoactive elements, and passive cooling. We employ an adapted Gersten-Nitzan model and real time ti…
A major impediment towards realizing technologies based on the emerging principles of antiferromagnetic spintronics is the shortage of suitable materials. In this paper, we propose a design of polar|nonpolar heterostructures of perovskite oxides, where a single unit cell of SrIrO3 is sandwiched between a thin film of LaAlO3 and a substrate of SrTiO3. Our calculations within the framework of density-functional theory + Hubbard U + spin-orbit coupling reveal a two-dimensional conducting layer with electron and hole pockets at the interface, exhibiting a strong anisotropic Rashba-Dresselhaus effe…
We demonstrate a new fabrication process for hybrid semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures based on anodic oxidation (AO), allowing controlled thinning of epitaxial Al films. Structural and transport studies of oxidized epitaxial Al films grown on insulating GaAs substrates reveal spatial non-uniformity and enhanced critical temperature and magnetic fields. Oxidation of epitaxial Al on hybrid InAs heterostructures with a conducting quantum well show similarly enhanced superconducting properties transferred to the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) by proximity effect, with critical per…
Topological insulators (TI) are bulk insulators that possess robust chiral conducting states along their interfaces with normal insulators. A tremendous research effort has recently been devoted to TI-based heterostructures, in which conventional proximity effects give rise to many exotic physical phenomena. Here we establish the potential existence of "topological proximity effects" at the interface of a topological graphene nanoribbon (GNR) and a normal GNR. Specifically, we show that the location of the topological edge states exhibits versatile tunability as a function of the interface ori…
Next-generation electronics calls for new materials beyond silicon for increased functionality, performance, and scaling in integrated circuits. Carbon nanotubes and semiconductor nanowires are at the forefront of these materials, but have challenges due to the complex fabrication techniques required for large-scale applications. Two-dimensional (2D) gapless graphene and semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have emerged as promising electronic materials due to their atomic thickness, chemical stability and scalability. Difficulties in the assembly of 2D electronic structures…
We perform scanning-gate microscopy on a quantum-point contact. It is defined in a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas of an AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure, giving rise to a weak disorder potential. The lever arm of the scanning tip is significantly smaller than that of the split gates defining the conducting channel of the quantum-point contact. We are able to observe that the conducting channel is shifted in real space when asymmetric gate voltages are applied. The observed shifts are consistent with transport data and numerical estimations.
Tunneling of electrons through the barriers in heterostructures has been studied, within unified transfer matrix approach. The effect of barrier width on the transmission coefficient of the electrons has been investigated for different pairs of semi conducting materials that are gaining much importance recently. These pairs include CdS/CdSe, AlGaAs/GaAs and InAs/AlSb. Barrier dimensions have been reduced from 20nm to 5nm to observe the effect of scaling on tunneling properties. Material depended is highlighted for electrons with energy varying from below the barrier height to above it. The ele…
We study how the Fermi energy of a graphene monolayer separated from a conducting substrate by a dielectric spacer depends on the properties of the substrate and on an applied voltage. An analytical model is developed that describes the Fermi level shift as a function of the gate voltage, of the substrate work function, and of the type and thickness of the dielectric spacer. The parameters of this model, that should describe the effect of gate electrodes in field-effect devices, can be obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculations on single layers or interfaces. The doping of grap…
The behaviors of resistance, magnetoresistance (up to 5 T), and Hall electromotive force (EMF) with varying temperature (from 10 to 300 K) and measuring current (from 10 mkA to 10 mA) are studied for the Si sample with CrSi2 nanocrystallites (NC) in the plane (111). The conduction in such heterostructure proceeds in the plane with the NC and is the conduction of a two-dimensional system of charge carriers that shows some unusual effects. The temperature variation of resistivitymaybe treated as the result of the effect of thermal activation but in this case it is characterized by a low activati…
We model the quantum Hall effect in heterostructures made of two gapped graphene stripes with different gaps, $Δ_1$ and $Δ_2$. We consider two main situations, $Δ_1=0,Δ_2\neq0$ and $Δ_1=-Δ_2$. They are different in a fundamental aspect: only the latter feature kink states that, when intervalley coupling is absent, are protected against backscattering. We compute the two terminal conductance of heterostructures with channel length up to 430 nm, in two transport configurations, parallel and perpendicular to the interface. By studying the effect of disorder on the transport along the boundary, we…
We investigate the electronic properties of heterostructures based on ultrathin hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) crystalline layers sandwiched between two layers of graphene as well as other conducting materials (graphite, gold). The tunnel conductance depends exponentially on the number of h-BN atomic layers, down to a monolayer thickness. Exponential behaviour of I-V characteristics for graphene/BN/graphene and graphite/BN/graphite devices is determined mainly by the changes in the density of states with bias voltage in the electrodes. Conductive atomic force microscopy scans across h-BN terra…
Atomically thin 2D materials span the common components of electronic circuits as metals, semi-conductors, and insulators, and can manifest correlated phases such as superconductivity, charge density waves, and magnetism. An ongoing challenge in the field is to incorporate these 2D materials into multi-layer hetero-structures with robust electrical contacts while preventing disorder and degradation. In particular, preserving and studying air-sensitive 2D materials has presented a significant challenge since they readily oxidize under atmospheric conditions. We report a new technique for contac…
Metal electrodes are a universal element of all electronic devices. Conducting SrRuO3 (SRO) epitaxial thin films have been extensively used as electrodes in complex-oxide heterostructures due to good lattice mismatches with perovskite substrates. However, when compared to SRO single crystals, SRO thin films have shown reduced conductivity and Curie temperatures (T_C), which can lead to higher Joule heating and energy loss in the devices. Here, we report that high-quality SRO thin films can be synthesized by controlling the plume dynamics and growth rate of pulsed laser epitaxy (PLE) with real-…
