Trap states in oxidation layer of nanocrystal Si

The photoluminescence （PL） of nanocrystal present in porous silicon shifts from the near infrared to the ultraviolet depending on the size when the surface is passivated with Si-H bonds. After oxidation, the centre wavelength of PL band is pinned in a region of 700-750 nm and its intensity increases obviously. Calculation shows that trap electronic states appear in the band gap of a smaller nanocrystal when Si = O bonds or Si-O-Si bonds are formed. The changes in PL intensity and wavelength can be explained by both quantum confinement and trap states in an oxidation layer of nanocrystal. In the theoretical model, the most important factor in the enhancement and the pinning effects of PL emission is the relative position between the level of the trap states and the level of the photoexcitation in the silicon nanocrystal.

Photoluminescence of carbon quantum dots:coarsely adjusted by quantum confinement effects and finely by surface trap states

Photoluminescence(PL) mechanism of carbon quantum dots(CQDs) remains controversial up to now even though a lot of approaches have been made. In order to do that, herein a PL color ladder from blue to near infrared of CQDs with the absolute quantum yields higher than 70% were prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal synthesis route and separated by silica gel column.Time-correlated single photon counting measurements suggest that the electron transition takes in effect in the PL progress of the crystalline core-shell structured CQDs, and the PL properties could be coarsely adjusted by tuning the size of the crystalline carbon core owing to quantum confinement effects, and finely adjusted by changing the surface functional groups consisted shell owing to surface trap states,respectively. Both coarse and fine adjustments of PL, as optical and photoelectrical characterizations and density-functional theory(DFT) calculations have demonstrated, make it possible for top-level design and precise synthesis of new CQDs with specific optical properties.

Scheme for implementing quantum dense coding with four-particle decoherence-free states in an ion trap

This paper proposes an experimentally feasible scheme for implementing quantum dense coding of trapped-ion system in decoherence-free states. As the phase changes due to time evolution of components with different eigenenergies of quantum superposition are completely frozen, quantum dense coding based on this model would be perfect. The scheme is insensitive to heating of vibrational mode and Bell states can be exactly distinguished via detecting the ionic state.

Suppressing trap states and energy loss by optimizing vertical phase distribution through ternary strategy in organic solar cells

Suppressing the trap-state density and the energy loss via ternary strategy was demonstrated.Favorable vertical phase distribution with donors(acceptors)accumulated(depleted)at the interface of active layer and charge extraction layer can be obtained by introducing appropriate amount of polymer acceptor N2200 into the systems of PBDB-T:IT-M and PBDB-TF:Y6.In addition,N2200 is gradiently distributed in the vertical direction in the ternary blend film.Various measurements were carried out to study the effects of N2200 on the binary systems.It was found that the optimized morphology especially in vertical direction can significantly decrease the trap state density of the binary blend films,which is beneficial for the charge transport and collection.All these features enable an obvious decrease in charge recombination in both PBDB-T:IT-M and PBDB-TF:Y6 based organic solar cells(OSCs),and power conversion efficiencies(PCEs)of 12.5%and 16.42%were obtained for the ternary OSCs,respectively.This work indicates that it is an effective method to suppress the trap state density and thus improve the device performance through ternary strategy.

Interface states in Al_2O_3/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor structure by frequency dependent conductance technique

Frequency dependent conductance measurements are implemented to investigate the interface states in Al2O3/A1GaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor （MOS） structures. Two types of device structures, namely, the recessed gate structure （RGS） and the normal gate structure （NGS）, are studied in the experiment. Interface trap parameters includ-ing trap density Dit, trap time constant ιit, and trap state energy ET in both devices have been determined. Furthermore, the obtained results demonstrate that the gate recess process can induce extra traps with shallower energy levels at the Al2O3/AlGaN interface due to the damage on the surface of the AlGaN barrier layer resulting from reactive ion etching （RIE）.

Trap analysis of composite 2D-3D channel in AlGaN/GaN/graded-AlGaN:Si/GaN:C multi-heterostructure at different temperatures

The graded AlGaN:Si back barrier can form the majority of three-dimensional electron gases(3DEGs)at the GaN/graded AlGaN:Si heterostructure and create a composite two-dimensional(2D)-three-dimensional(3D)channel in AlGaN/GaN/graded-AlGaN:Si/GaN:C heterostructure(DH:Si/C).Frequency-dependent capacitances and conductance are measured to investigate the characteristics of the multi-temperature trap states of in DH:Si/C and AlGaN/GaN/GaN:C heterostructure(SH:C).There are fast,medium,and slow trap states in DH:Si/C,while only medium trap states exist in SH:C.The time constant/trap density for medium trap state in SH:C heterostructure are(11μs-17.7μs)/(1.1×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1-3.9×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1)and(8.7μs-14.1μs)/(0.7×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1-1.9×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1)at 300 K and 500 K respectively.The time constant/trap density for fast,medium,and slow trap states in DH:Si/C heterostructure are(4.2μs-7.7μs)/(1.5×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1-3.2×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1),(6.8μs-11.8μs)/(0.8×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1-2.8×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1),(30.1μs-151μs)/(7.5×10^12 cm^-2·eV^-1-7.8×10^12 cm^-2·eV^-1)at 300 K and(3.5μs-6.5μs)/(0.9×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1-1.8×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1),(4.9μs-9.4μs)/(0.6×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1-1.7×10^13 cm^-2·eV^-1),(20.6μs-61.9μs)/(3.2×10^12 cm^-2·eV^-1-3.5×10^12 cm^-2·eV^-1)at 500 K,respectively.The DH:Si/C structure can effectively reduce the density of medium trap states compared with SH:C structure.

Incomplete charge transfer in CMOS image sensor caused by Si/SiO_(2)interface states in the TG channel

CMOS image sensors produced by the existing CMOS manufacturing process usually have difficulty achieving complete charge transfer owing to the introduction of potential barriers or Si/SiO_(2)interface state traps in the charge transfer path,which reduces the charge transfer efficiency and image quality.Until now,scholars have only considered mechanisms that limit charge transfer from the perspectives of potential barriers and spill back effect under high illumination condition.However,the existing models have thus far ignored the charge transfer limitation due to Si/SiO_(2)interface state traps in the transfer gate channel,particularly under low illumination.Therefore,this paper proposes,for the first time,an analytical model for quantifying the incomplete charge transfer caused by Si/SiO_(2)interface state traps in the transfer gate channel under low illumination.This model can predict the variation rules of the number of untransferred charges and charge transfer efficiency when the trap energy level follows Gaussian distribution,exponential distribution and measured distribution.The model was verified with technology computer-aided design simulations,and the results showed that the simulation results exhibit the consistency with the proposed model.

In Situ Iodide Passivation Toward Efficient CsPbI_(3) Perovskite Quantum Dot Solar Cells

All-inorganic CsPbI_3 quantum dots(QDs) have demonstrated promising potential in photovoltaic(PV) applications. However, these colloidal perovskites are vulnerable to the deterioration of surface trap states, leading to a degradation in efficiency and stability. To address these issues, a facile yet effective strategy of introducing hydroiodic acid(HI) into the synthesis procedure is established to achieve high-quality QDs and devices. Through an in-depth experimental analysis, the introduction of HI was found to convert PbI_2 into highly coordinated [PbI_m]~(2-m), enabling control of the nucleation numbers and growth kinetics. Combined optical and structural investigations illustrate that such a synthesis technique is beneficial for achieving enhanced crystallinity and a reduced density of crystallographic defects. Finally, the effect of HI is further reflected on the PV performance. The optimal device demonstrated a significantly improved power conversion efficiency of 15.72% along with enhanced storage stability. This technique illuminates a novel and simple methodology to regulate the formed species during synthesis, shedding light on ofurther understanding solar cell performance, and aiding the design of future novel synthesis protocols for high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Improved interfacial property by small molecule ethanediamine for high performance inverted planar perovskite solar cells

We report a simple and effective method to realize desirable interfacial property for inverted planar perovskite solar cells(PSCs)by using small molecule ethanediamine for the construction of a novel polyelectrolyte hole transport material(P3CT-ED HTM).It is found that P3CT-ED can not only improve the hole transport property of P3CT-K but also improve the crystallinity of adjacent perovskite film.In addition,the introduction of ethanediamine into P3CT realigns the conduction and valence bands upwards,passivates surface defects and reduces nonradiative recombination.As a consequence,compared to P3CT-K hole transport layer(HTL)based devices,the average power conversion efficiency(PCE)is boosted from17.2% to 19.6% for the counterparts with P3CT-ED,with simultaneous enhancement in open circuit voltage and fill factor.The resultant device displays a champion PCE of 20.5% with negligible hysteresis.

Numerical study on the dependence of ZnO thin-film transistor characteristics on grain boundary position

The dependence of transistor characteristics on grain boundary （GB） position in short-channel ZnO thin film transistors （TFTs） has been investigated using two-dimensional numerical simulations. To simulate the device accurately, both tail states and deep-level states are taken into consideration. It is shown that both the transfer and output characteristics of ZnO TFTs change dramatically with varying GB position, which is different from polycrystalline Si （poly-Si） TFTs. By analysing the mechanism of the carrier transportation in the device, it is revealed that the dependence is derived from the degrees of carrier concentration descent and mobility variation with CB position.

Modulation of carrier lifetime in MoS2 monolayer by uniaxial strain

Carrier lifetime is one of the most fundamental physical parameters that characterizes the average time of carrier recombination in any material.The control of carrier lifetime is the key to optimizing the device function by tuning the electro-optical conversion quantum yield,carrier diffusion length,carrier collection process,etc.Till now,the prevailing modulation methods are mainly by defect engineering and temperature control,which have limitations in the modulation direction and amplitude of the carrier lifetime.Here,we report an effective modulation on the ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited carriers in two-dimensional(2D)MoS2 monolayer by uniaxial tensile strain.The combination of optical ultrafast pump-probe technique and time-resolved photoluminescence(PL)spectroscopy reveals that the carrier dynamics through Auger scattering,carrier-phonon scattering,and radiative recombination keep immune to the strain.But strikingly,the uniaxial tensile strain weakens the trapping of photoexcited carriers by defects and therefore prolongs the corresponding carrier lifetime up to 440%per percent applied strain.Our results open a new avenue to enlarge the carrier lifetime of 2D MoS2,which will facilitate its applications in high-efficient optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices.

Electron transfer kinetics in CdS/Pt heterojunction photocatalyst during water splitting

Noble metal cocatalysts have shown great potential in boosting the performance of CdS in photocatalytic water splitting.However,the mechanism and kinetics of electron transfer in noble-metal-decorated CdS during practical hydrogen evolution is not clearly elucidated.Herein,Pt-nanoparticle-decorated CdS nanorods(CdS/Pt)are utilized as the model system to analyze the electron transfer kinetics in CdS/Pt heterojunction.Through femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy,three dominating exciton quenching pathways are observed and assigned to the trapping of photogenerated electrons at shallow states,recombination of free electrons and trapped holes,and radiative recombination of locally photogenerated electron-hole pairs.The introduction of Pt cocatalyst can release the electrons trapped at the shallow states and construct an ultrafast electron transfer tunnel at the CdS/Pt interface.When CdS/Pt is dispersed in acetonitrile,the lifetime and rate for interfacial electron transfer are respectively calculated to be~5.5 ps and~3.5×10^(10) s^(−1).The CdS/Pt is again dispersed in water to simulate photocatalytic water splitting.The lifetime of the interfacial electron transfer decreases to~5.1 ps and the electron transfer rate increases to~4.9×10^(10) s^(−1),confirming that Pt nanoparticles serve as the main active sites of hydrogen evolution.This work reveals the role of Pt cocatalysts in enhancing the photocatalytic performance of CdS from the perspective of electron transfer kinetics.

Two-dimensional analysis of the interface state effect on current gain for a 4H-SiC bipolar junction transistor

This paper studies two-dimensional analysis of the surface state effect on current gain for a 4H-SiC bipolar junction transistor （BJT）. Simulation results indicate the mechanism of current gain degradation, which is surface Fermi level pinning leading to a strong downward bending of the energy bands to form the channel of surface electron recombination current. The experimental results are well-matched with the simulation, which is modeled by exponential distributions of the interface state density replacing the single interface state trap. Furthermore, the simulation reveals that the oxide quality of the base emitter junction interface is very important for 4H-SiC BJT performance.

Organic-inorganic hybrid hole transport layers with SnS doping boost the performance of perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells(PSCs) have demonstrated excellent photovoltaic performance which currently rival the long-standing silicon solar cells’ efficiency. However, the relatively poor device operational stability of PSCs still limits their future commercialization. Binary sulfide is a category of materials with promising optoelectrical properties, which shows the potential to improve both the efficiency and stability of PSCs.Here we demonstrate that the inorganic tin monosulfide(Sn S) can be an efficient dopant in 2,2’,7,7’-tet rakis(N,N-di-p-methoxy-phenylamine)-9,9’-spirobifluorene(spiro-OMe TAD) to form a composite hole transport layer(HTL) for PSCs. Sn S nanoparticles(NPs) synthesized through a simple chemical precipitation method exhibit good crystallization and suitable band matching with the perovskites. The introduction of Sn S NPs in Spiro-OMTAD HTLs enhanced charge extraction, reduced trap state density, and shallowed trap state energy level of the devices based on the composite HTLs. Therefore, the resulting solar cells employing Sn S-doped spiro-OMe TAD HTLs delivered an improved stabilized power output efficiency of 21.75% as well as enhanced long-term stability and operational stability. Our results provide a simple method to modify the conventional spiro-OMe TAD and obtain PSCs with both high efficiency and good stability.

Coherent Assembly of Ultracold Polyatomic Molecules: Two-Channel Interference

The evidences of three-body and four-body bound states have been reported in a series of very recent experiments with ultracold atoms.Here we study coherent creation of polyatomic molecules via a generalized atom-molecule dark-state technique.By keeping the intermediate trimer or tetramer state essentially unpopulated,the constructive quantum two-channel interference is shown to play an important role in,e.g.coherent atom-pentamer conversion at ultracold temperature.

Theory of two-photon micromaser： competition among different transition processes

We have investigated the steady-state cavity-field properties of a single-mode two-photon microreader when the atoms in a cascade three-level configuration are initially prepared in a mixture of the upper and intermediate states. The mean photon number, trapping state and sub-Poissonian effect are discussed with upper （intermediate）-state population changing from 1（0） to 0（1）. These properties are very different from those in a pure two- or one-photon transition process, due to the competition among different transition processes. In particular, the trapping states of nonzero photons are discovered in this system under some conditions, which is contrary to the previous findings.

Self-trapped exciton engineering for white-light emission in colloidal lead-free double perovskite nanocrystals

Intrinsic broadband photoluminescence(PL)of self-trapped excitons(STEs)are systematically studied in lead-free double perovskite nanocrystals(NCs).It is clarified that bandgap(direct/indirect)has important influence on the PL properties of STEs:indirect bandgap NCs exhibit strong exciton-phonon coupling which results in non-radiative STEs,while direct bandgap NCs exhibit moderate exciton-phonon coupling,inducing bright STE PL.Furthermore,by alloying K+and Li+ions in Cs2AgInCl6 NCs,the NCs exhibit broadband white-light emission.Charge-carrier dynamics study indicates that the efficient white-light emission originates from the further suppressed non-radiative processes of the STEs in the direct bandgap structure.This work may deepen the understanding of STEs and guide the design of highperformance lead-free perovskites.

Nanoscale control of grain boundary potential barrier, dopant density and filled trap state density for higher efficiency perovskite solar cells

In this work,grain boundary(GB)potential barrier(ΔφGB),dopant density(Pnet),and filled trap state density(PGB,trap)were manipulated at the nanoscale by exposing the fabricated perovskite films to various relative humidity(RH)environments.Spatial mapping of surface potential in the perovskite film revealed higher positive potential at GBs than inside the grains.The averageΔφGB,Pnet,and PGB,trap in the perovskite films decreased from 0%RH to 25%RH exposure,but increased when the RH increased to 35%RH and 45%RH.This clearly indicated that perovskite solar cells fabricated at 25%RH led to the lowest average GB potential,smallest dopant density,and least filled trap states density.This is consistent with the highest photovoltaic efficiency of 18.16%at 25%RH among the different relative humidities from 0%to 45%RH.

Atomic origin of the traps in memristive interface

In recent years, trap-related interfacial transport phenomena have received great attention owing to their potential applications in resistive switching devices and photo detectors. Not long ago, one new type of memristive interface that is composed of F-doped SnO2 and Bi2S3 nano-network layers has demonstrated a bivariate-continuous-tunable resistance with a swift response comparable to the one in neuron synapses and with a brain-like memorizing capability. However, the resistive mechanism is still not clearly understood because of lack of evidence, and the limited improvement in the development of the interfacial device. By combining I-V characterization, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and first- principle calculation, we studied in detail the macro/micro features of the memristive interface using experimental and theoretical methods, and confirmed that its atomic origin is attributed to the traps induced by O-doping. This implies that impurity-doping might be an effective strategy for improving switching features and building new interfacial memristors.

Controllable Exciton Diffusion Length and Ultrafast Charge Generation in Ternary Organic Solar Cells

Charge generation,a critical process in the operation of organic solar cell(OSC),requires thorough investigation in an ultrafast perspective.This work demonstrates that the utilization of alloy model for the non-fullerene acceptor(NFA)component can regulate the crystallization properties of active layer films,which in turn affects exciton diffusion and hole transfer(HT),ultimately influencing the charge generation process.By incorporating BTP-eC7 as a third component,without expanding absorption range or changing molecular energy levels but regulating the ultrafast exciton diffusion and HT processes,the power conversion efficiency(PCE)of the optimized PM6:BTP-eC9:BTP-eC7 based ternary OSC is improved from 17.30%to 17.83%,primarily due to the enhancement of short-circuit current density(JSC).Additionally,the introduction of BTP-eC7 also reduces the trap state density in the photoactive layer which helps to reduce the loss of JSC.This study introduces a novel approach for employing ternary alloy models by incorporating dual acceptors with similar structures,and elucidates the underlying mechanism of charge generation and JSC in ternary OSCs.