Giant and light modifiable third-order optical nonlinearity in a free-standing h-BN film

Recently,hexagonal boron nitride(h-BN)has become a promising nanophotonic platform for on-chip information devices due to the practicability in generating optically stable,ultra-bright quantum emitters.For an integrated information-processing chip,high optical nonlinearity is indispensable for various fundamental functionalities,such as all-optical modulation,high order harmonic generation,optical switching and so on.Here we study the third-order optical nonlinearity of free-standing h-BN thin films,which is an ideal platform for on-chip integration and device formation without the need of transfer.The films were synthesized by a solution-based method with abundant functional groups enabling high third-order optical nonlinearity.Unlike the highly inert pristine h-BN films synthesized by conventional methods,the free-standing h-BN films could be locally oxidized upon tailored femtosecond laser irradiation,which further enhances the third-order nonlinearity,especially the nonlinear refraction index,by more than 20 times.The combination of the free-standing h-BN films with laser activation and patterning capability establishes a new promising platform for high performance on-chip photonic devices with modifiable optical performance.

Highly insulating phase of Bi_(2)O_(2)Se thin films with high electronic performance

Bi_(2)O_(2)Se is highly competitive as a candidate of next-generation high-performance semiconductors.Though dubbed as semiconductor,Bi_(2)O_(2)Se films exhibited high conductance,i.e.,metallic behavior,due to spontaneously ionized defects.Semiconducting/insulating films are of practical importance in broad applications based on low-power,high-performance electronics,the existence of which lacks firm evidence.Here,we synthesized highly insulating films in a controlled way,which exhibit semiconducting behavior with channel resistance up to 1 TΩ.The electron chemical potential lies within the band gap,in some cases,even below the charge neutrality level,signifying the trace of hole-type semiconducting.The performance of insulating devices remains high,comparable to high-quality devices previously.Especially,the threshold voltage(Vth)is positive,contrary to common negative values reported.Calculations indicate that our synthesis conditions suppress electron donors(Se vacancies(VSe))and promote the formation of compensating acceptors(Bi vacancies(VBi)),leading to insulating behaviors.Our work offers insights into electron dynamics of Bi_(2)O_(2)Se,moves one step further towards p-type transistors and provides a valuable playground for engineering ferroelectricity in high-performance semiconductors.

High-sensitive two-dimensional PbI_(2)photodetector with ultrashort channel

Photodetectors based on two-dimensional(2D)semiconductors have attracted many research interests owing to their excellent optoelectronic characteristics and application potential for highly integrated applications.However,the unique morphology of 2D materials also restricts the further improvement of the device performance,as the carrier transport is very susceptible to intrinsic and extrinsic environment of the materials.Here,we report the highest responsivity(172 A/W)achieved so far for a PbI_(2)-based photodetector at room temperature,which is an order of magnitude higher than previously reported.Thermal scanning probe lithography(t-SPL)was used to pattern electrodes to realize the ultrashort channel(~60 nm)in the devices.The shortening of the channel length greatly reduces the probability of the photo-generated carriers being scattered during the transport process,which increases the photocurrent density and thus the responsivity.Our work shows that the combination of emerging processing technologies and 2D materials is an effective route to shrink device size and improve device performance.