Moiré superlattices arising from growth induced by screw dislocations in layered materials

Moiré superlattices(MSLs) are modulated structures produced from homogeneous or heterogeneous two-dimensional layers stacked with a twist angle and/or lattice mismatch. Enriching the methods for fabricating MSL and realizing the unique emergent properties are key challenges in its investigation. Here we recommend that the spiral dislocation driven growth is another optional method for the preparation of high quality MSL samples. The spiral structure stabilizes the constant out-of-plane lattice distance, causing the variations in electronic and optical properties. Taking SnS_(2) MSL as an example, we find prominent properties including large band gap reduction(~ 0.4 e V) and enhanced optical activity. Firstprinciples calculations reveal that these unusual properties can be ascribed to the locally enhanced interlayer interaction associated with the Moiré potential modulation. We believe that the spiral dislocation driven growth would be a powerful method to expand the MSL family and broaden their scope of application.

An advanced theoretical approach to study super-multiperiod superlattices:theory vs experiments

A new theoretical method to study super-multiperiod superlattices has been developed.The method combines the precision of the 8-band kp-method with the flexibility of the shooting method and the Monte Carlo approach.This method was applied to examine the finest quality samples of super-multiperiod Al_(0.3)Ga_(0.7)As/GaAs superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy.The express photoreflectance spectroscopy method was utilized to validate the proposed theoretical method.For the first time,the accurate theoretical analysis of the energy band diagram of super-multiperiod superlattices with experimental verification has been conducted.The proposed approach highly accurately determines transition peak positions and enables the calculation of the energy band diagram,transition energies,relaxation rates,and gain estimation.It has achieved a remarkably low 5%error compared to the commonly used method,which typically results in a 25%error,and allowed to recover the superlattice parameters.The retrieved intrinsic parameters of the samples aligned with XRD data and growth parameters.The proposed method also accurately predicted the escape of the second energy level for quantum well thicknesses less than 5 nm,as was observed in photoreflectance experiments.The new designs of THz light-emitting devices operating at room temperature were suggested by the developed method.

Comprehensive study of the ultrafast photoexcited carrier dynamics in Sb_(2)Te_(3)–GeTe superlattices

Chalcogenide superlattices Sb_(2)Te_(3)-GeTe is a candidate for interfacial phase-change memory(iPCM) data storage devices.By employing terahertz emission spectroscopy and the transient reflectance spectroscopy together,we investigate the ultrafast photoexcited carrier dynamics and current transients in Sb_(2)Te_(3)-GeTe superlattices.Sample orientation and excitation polarization dependences of the THz emission confirm that ultrafast thermo-electric,shift and injection currents contribute to the THz generation in Sb_(2)Te_(3)-GeTe superlattices.By decreasing the thickness and increasing the number of GeTe and Sb_(2)Te_(3) layer,the interlayer coupling can be enhanced,which significantly reduces the contribution from circular photo-galvanic effect(CPGE).A photo-induced bleaching in the transient reflectance spectroscopy probed in the range of~1100 nm to~1400 nm further demonstrates a gapped state resulting from the interlayer coupling.These demonstrates play an important role in the development of iPCM-based high-speed optoelectronic devices.

High-performance extended short-wavelength infrared PBn photodetectors based on InAs/GaSb/AlSb superlattices

High performance short-wavelength infrared PBn photodetectors based on InAs/GaSb/AlSb superlattices on GaSb substrate have been demonstrated.At 300 K,the device exhibits a 50%cut-off wavelength of~2.1μm as predicted from the band structure calculation;the device responsivity peaks at 0.85 A/W,corresponding to a quantum efficiency(QE)of 56%for 2.0μm-thick absorption region.The dark current density of 1.03×10^(-3)A/cm^(2)is obtained under 50 mV applied bias.The device exhibits a saturated dark current shot noise limited specific detectivity(D*)of 3.29×1010cm·Hz^(1/2)/W(at a peak responsivity of 2.0μm)under-50 mV applied bias.

Impeded thermal transport in aperiodic BN/C nanotube superlattices due to phonon Anderson localization

Anderson localization of phonons is a kind of phonon wave effect,which has been proved to occur in many structures with disorders.In this work,we introduced aperiodicity to boron nitride/carbon nanotube superlattices(BN/C NT SLs),and used molecular dynamics to calculate the thermal conductivity and the phonon transmission spectrum of the models.The existence of phonon Anderson localization was proved in this quasi one-dimensional structure by analyzing the phonon transmission spectra.Moreover,we introduced interfacial mixing to the aperiodic BN/C NT SLs and found that the coexistence of the two disorder entities(aperiodicity and interfacial mixing)can further decrease the thermal conductivity.In addition,we also showed that anharmonicity can destroy phonon localization at high temperatures.This work provides a reference for designing thermoelectric materials with low thermal conductivity by taking advantage of phonon localization.

Strain compensated type Ⅱ superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We investigate a strain compensation method for the growth of complex interband cascade laser structures. For thick In As/Al Sb superlattice clad layers, the sublayer thicknesses were adjusted so that the tensile strain energy in the In As sublayer was equal to the compressive strain energy in the Al Sb sublayer. For the four-constituent active region, as the compressive strain in the Ga0.65In0.35Sb alloy layer was large, a tensile strain was incorporated in the chirped In As/Al Sb superlattice region for strain compensation to the Ga0.65In0.35Sb alloy. A laser structure of thickness 6 μm was grown on the Ga Sb substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. The wafer exhibited good surface morphology and high crystalline quality.

Recent progress on fabrication and flat-band physics in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides moiré superlattices

Moiré superlattices are formed when overlaying two materials with a slight mismatch in twist angle or lattice constant. They provide a novel platform for the study of strong electronic correlations and non-trivial band topology, where emergent phenomena such as correlated insulating states, unconventional superconductivity, and quantum anomalous Hall effect are discovered. In this review, we focus on the semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs) based moiré systems that host intriguing flat-band physics. We first review the exfoliation methods of two-dimensional materials and the fabrication technique of their moiré structures. Secondly, we overview the progress of the optically excited moiré excitons, which render the main discovery in the early experiments on TMD moiré systems. We then introduce the formation mechanism of flat bands and their potential in the quantum simulation of the Hubbard model with tunable doping, degeneracies, and correlation strength. Finally, we briefly discuss the challenges and future perspectives of this field.

Structural design of mid-infrared waveguide detectors based on InAs/GaAsSb superlattice

In the realm of near-infrared spectroscopy,the detection of molecules has been achieved using on-chip waveguides and resonators.In the mid-infrared band,the integration and sensitivity of chemical sensing chips are often constrained by the reliance on off-chip light sources and detectors.In this study,we demonstrate an InAs/GaAsSb superlattice mid-infrared waveguide integrated detector.The GaAsSb waveguide layer and the InAs/GaAsSb superlattice absorbing layer are connected through evanescent coupling,facilitating efficient and highquality detection of mid-infrared light with minimal loss.We conducted a simulation to analyze the photoelectric characteristics of the device.Additionally,we investigated the factors that affect the integration of the InAs/GaAs⁃Sb superlattice photodetector and the GaAsSb waveguide.Optimal thicknesses and lengths for the absorption lay⁃er are determined.When the absorption layer has a thickness of 0.3μm and a length of 50μm,the noise equiva⁃lent power reaches its minimum value,and the quantum efficiency can achieve a value of 68.9%.The utilization of waveguide detectors constructed with Ⅲ-Ⅴ materials offers a more convenient means of integrating mid-infra⁃red light sources and achieving photoelectric detection chips.

ab initio CALCULATION FOR THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF GaAs/Al_xGa_(1-x) As SUPERLATTICES: CONJUGATE GRADIENT APPROACH

The electronic structure of GaAs/Al xGa 1-x As superlattices has been investigated by an ab initio calculation method—the conjugate gradient (CG) approach.In order to determine that,a conventional CG scheme is modified for our superlattices:First,apart from the former scheme,for the fixed electron density n(z),the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are calculated,and then by using those,reconstruct the new n(z).Also,for every k z,we apply the CG schemes independently.The calculated energy difference between two minibands,and Fermi energy are in good agreement with the experimental data.

ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES OF (CdSe)_n/(ZnSe)_m STRAINED-LAYER SUPERLATTICES

The electronic structures of (CdSe)n/(ZnSe)m strained-lager soperfattice (SLS) were investigated by the recursion method in the tight-bindiop opproximation. The total,local, and partial density of states were calculated for n=1, m=5.The total density of states (TDOS) for bulk CdSe, ZnSe and n=1, 3, m=1, 3, 5, for SLS were investigated.Fermi energy, the band gap, the valence of an atom, and the ionization potential and the electron affinity were discassed.

Improvement of doping efficiency in Mg-Al_(0.14)Ga_(0.86)N/GaN superlattices with AlN interlayer by suppressing donor-like defects

We investigate the mechanism for the improvement of p-type doping efficiency in Mg-Al0.14Ga0.86N/GaN super- lattices （SLs）. It is shown that the hole concentration of SLs increases by nearly an order of magnitude, from 1.1 × 1017 to 9.3×1017 cm-3, when an AlN interlayer is inserted to modulate the strains. SchrSdinger-Poisson self-consistent calculations suggest that such an increase could be attributed to the reduction of donor-like defects caused by the strain modulation induced by the AlN interlayer. Additionally, the donor-acceptor pair emission exhibits a remarkable decrease in intensity of the cathodoluminescence spectrumlfor SLs with an A1N interlayer. This supports the theoretical calculations and indicates that the strain modulation of SLs could be beneficial to the donor-like defect suppression as well as the p-type doping efficiency improvement.

Interface effect on superlattice quality and optical properties of InAs/GaSb type-Ⅱ superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We systematically investigate the influence of InSb interface(IF)engineering on the crystal quality and optical properties of strain-balanced InAs/GaSb type-Ⅱsuperlattices(T2SLs).The type-Ⅱsuperlattice structure is 120 periods InAs(8 ML)/GaSb(6 ML)with different thicknesses of InSb interface grown by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE).The highresolution x-ray diffraction(XRD)curves display sharp satellite peaks,and the narrow full width at half maximum(FWHM)of the 0th is only 30-39 arcsec.From high-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM)characterization,the InSb heterointerfaces and the clear spatial separation between the InAs and GaSb layers can be more intuitively distinguished.As the InSb interface thickness increases,the compressive strain increases,and the surface“bright spots”appear to be more apparent from the atomic force microscopy(AFM)results.Also,photoluminescence(PL)measurements verify that,with the increase in the strain,the bandgap of the superlattice narrows.By optimizing the InSb interface,a high-quality crystal with a well-defined surface and interface is obtained with a PL wavelength of 4.78μm,which can be used for mid-wave infrared(MWIR)detection.

Size-dependent electromechanical properties in piezoelectric superlattices due to flexoelectric effect

Piezoelectric superlattice is a potential component for nanoelectromechanical systems. Due to the strong nonlocal effect such as flexoelectric effect at interfaces, classical piezoelectric theory is unable to accurately describe the electromechanical response of piezoelectric superlattice at nanoscale scale. Based on the previous nonlocal thermodynamics theory with flexoelectric effect Liu et al. （2016）, the size- dependent electromechanical properties of piezoelectric superlattices made of BaTiO3 （BTO） and PbTiO3 （PRO） layers are investigated systematically in the present work. Giant strain gradient is found near the interface between BTO and PTO layers, which leads to the significant enhancement of polarization in the superlattice due to the flexoelectric effect. For the piezoelectric BTO-PTO superlattices with different unit- cell sizes, the thickness of interface with nontrivial strain gradient is almost constant. The influence of strain gradient at the interface becomes significant when the size of superlattice decreases, As a result, a strong size dependence of electromechanical properties is predicted for the piezoelectric BTO-PTO superlattices, In particular, for the superlattices with a specific thickness ratio of BTO and PTO layers, the piezoelectric response can be several times larger than that of bulk structure. The present work demonstrates a practical wast to design the piezoelectric superlattices with high piezoelectric coefficient by using the nonlocal effect at nanoscale.

Low Crosstalk Three-Color Infrared Detector by Controlling the Minority Carriers Type of InAs/GaSb Superlattices for Middle-Long and Very-Long Wavelength

We report a type-Ⅱ InAs/GaSb superlattice three-color infrared detector for mid-wave （MW）, long-wave （LW）, and very long-wave （VLW） detections. The detector structure consists of three contacts of NIPIN architecture for MW and LW detections, and hetero-junction NIP architecture for VLW detection. It is found that the spectral crosstalks can be significantly reduced by controlling the minority carriers transport via doping beryllium in the two active regions of NIPIN section. The crosstalk detection at MW, LW, and VLW signals are achieved by selecting the bias voltages on the device. At 77K, the cutoff wavelengths of the three-color detection are 5.3μm （at OmV）, 141μm （at 300mV） and 19μm （at -20mV） with the detectivities of 4.6xlO11 cm.Hzl/ZW-1, 2.3×10^10 cm.Hzl/2W-1, and 1.0×10^10cm.Hzl/2W-1 for MW, LW and VLW. The crosstalks of the MW channel, LW channel, and VLW channel are almost 0, 0.25, and 0.6, respectively.

Strain Relaxation Related Photoluminescence Bands in Ge/Si Short Period Superlattices

Pure-Ge/Si short period superlattice (SPS) grown by gas source MBE (GSMBE) is studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy. An abnormal band in photoluminescence is found in an intermediate range of Lsi between 1.9 nm-2.9 nm for samples with LGe fixed at 1.5 ml. In contrast to a pure-Ge/Si quantum well, the energy of the band shows red-shift as Lsi increases. Raman scattering shows that Si-Si vibration related Raman shift reaches a minimum for samples with strongest PL intensity of the abnormal band. It is therefore concluded that the abnormal band is related with strain relaxation process.

Twist-angle two-dimensional superlattices and their application in(opto)electronics

Twist-angle two-dimensional systems,such as twisted bilayer graphene,twisted bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides,twisted bilayer phosphorene and their multilayer van der Waals heterostructures,exhibit novel and tunable properties due to the formation of Moirésuperlattice and modulated Moirébands.The review presents a brief venation on the development of"twistronics"and subsequent applications based on band engineering by twisting.Theoretical predictions followed by experimental realization of magic-angle bilayer graphene ignited the flame of investigation on the new freedom degree,twistangle,to adjust(opto)electrical behaviors.Then,the merging of Dirac cones and the presence of flat bands gave rise to enhanced light-matter interaction and gate-dependent electrical phases,respectively,leading to applications in photodetectors and superconductor electronic devices.At the same time,the increasing amount of theoretical simulation on extended twisted 2D materials like TMDs and BPs called for further experimental verification.Finally,recently discovered properties in twisted bilayer h-BN evidenced h-BN could be an ideal candidate for dielectric and ferroelectric devices.Hence,both the predictions and confirmed properties imply twist-angle two-dimensional superlattice is a group of promising candidates for next-generation(opto)electronics.

Epitaxial growth of Fe/Ag single crystal superlattices and their magnetic properties

Single crystal Fe/Ag（001） superlattices with various periodicities were fabricated using ultrahigh vacuum evaporation deposition. It was found that single crystal bcc Fe layers and single crystal fcc Ag layers can epitaxially grow on a single crystal Ag buffer layer alternately, which was deposited on NaCl single crystal chips by ion beam assisted deposition. The magnetic measurements of the superlattices reveal an oscillation coupling between ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism as a function of the Ag layer thickness. The oscillation period, which is 1 nm （5 Ag layers）, is in good agreement with the calculated values when the Ag thickness is greater than 1.5 nm. While the thickness of the Ag spacer layer decreases to 1 nm, the oscillation coupling varies from calculations, which can be attributed to the intermixing of the interlayers according to the annealing results.

MOCVD Growth of GaAs / Al_xGa_(1-x) As Superlattices

This paper presents metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) growth of GaAs / Al_x Ga_(1-x) Assuperlattices and their application in HEMT (high electron mobility transistor). SEED (self eletrooptic ef-fect device) devices. Superlattice structures are characterized by using crosssectional transmission electronmicroscopy (XTEM). X-ray diffraction and low temperature photoluminescence (PL), and the results showthat they are in agreement with the designed parameters. The superlattice used as buffer layer in HEMTcan smooth out interface roughness. This smoothing effect is related to the migration of Ga and Al specieson the growing surface and the anisotropic growth rate of GaAs on different facets. High qualitysuperlattice with 27 satellite peaks measured by X- ray diffraction is obtained. Based on the structureparameters determined by TEM and X- ray diffraction. the calculated emission peak position of thesuperlattice is in agreement with PL results.

Spin-polarized transport in graphene nanoribbon superlattices

By the Green＇s function method,we investigate spin transport properties of a zigzag graphene nanoribbon superlattice（ZGNS） under a ferromagnetic insulator and edge effect.The exchange splitting induced by the ferromagnetic insulator eliminates the spin degeneracy,which leads to spin-polarized transport in structure.Spin-dependent minibands and minigaps are exhibited in the conductance profile near the Fermi energy.The location and width of the miniband are associated with the geometry of the ZGNS.In the optimal structure,the spin-up and spin-down minibands can be separated completely near the Fermi energy.Therefore,a wide,perfect spin polarization with clear stepwise pattern is observed,i.e.,the perfect spin-polarized transport can be tuned from spin up to spin down by varying the electron energy.

STRUCTURE AND FERROMAGNETIC RESONANCE OF Fe/Cu SUPERLATTICES

Metallic Fe/Cu superlattice films on glass substrates were prepared by a dc-magnetion sputtering system.The modulation behaviors and the crystal structures of the films were ex- amined by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)respectively. Their magnetic properties were studied by means of ferromagnetic resonnance spectrometer and the vibrating sample magnetometer.The results show that there exists a strong magnetic coupling between the neighbouring Fe layers and it is the coupling that affectes the magnetic properties of these superlattice films.