Interface effects in spin-polarized metal/insulator layered structures

Recent advances in thin-film deposition techniques, such as molecular beam epitaxy and pulsed laser deposition, have allowed for the manufacture of heterostructures with nearly atomically abrupt interfaces. Although the bulk properties of the individual heterostructure components may be well-known, often the heterostructures exhibit novel and sometimes unexpected properties due to interface effects. At heterostructure interfaces, lattice structure, stoichiometry, interface electronic structure (bonding, interface states, etc.), and symmetry all conspire to produce behavior different from the bulk constituents. This review discusses why knowledge of the electronic structure and composition at the interfaces is pivotal to the understanding of the properties of heterostructures, particularly the (spin polarized) electronic transport in (magnetic) tunnel junctions.     

Semiempirical tight-binding modelling of III-N-based heterostructures

In this work, we present a second nearest neighbour sp³s^* semi-empirical tight-binding theory to calculate the electronic band structure of heterostructures based on group III-N binary semiconductors and their ternaries. The model Hamiltonian includes the second nearest neighbour (2nn) interactions, the spin–orbit splitting and the nonlinear variations of the atomic energy levels and the bond length with ternary mole fraction. Using this sp³s^* tight-binding approach, we investigated the electronic band structure of Al_1−xGa_xN/GaN and In_1−xGa_xN/GaN heterostructures as a function of composition and interface strain for the entire composition range (0≤x≤1). There is an excellent agreement between the model predictions and experiment for the principal bandgaps at Γ, L and X symmetry points of the Brillouin zone for AlN, GaN and InN binaries and Al_1−xGa_xN and In_1−xGa_xN ternaries. The model predicts that the composition effects on the valence band offsets is linear, but on the conduction band offsets is nonlinear and large when the interface strain and deformation potential is large.     

应力调控BlueP/XTe2(X=Mo,W)范德瓦耳斯异质结电子结构及光学性质理论研究

通过第一性原理计算探讨了蓝磷烯与过渡金属硫化物MoTe₂/WTe₂形成范德瓦耳斯异质结的电子结构和光学性质,以及施加双轴应力对相关性质的影响.计算结果表明,形成BlueP/XTe₂(X=Mo,W)异质结,二者能带排列为间接带隙type-Ⅱ并有较强的红外光吸收,同时屏蔽特性增强.随压缩应力增加,BlueP/XTe₂转变为直接带隙type-Ⅱ能带排列最后转变为金属性;随拉伸应力增加,异质结转变为间接带隙type-Ⅰ能带排列.外加应力也能有效调控异质结的光吸收性质,随压缩应力增加吸收边红移,光吸收响应拓展至中红外光谱区且吸收系数增大;BlueP/MoTe₂较BlueP/WTe₂在中红外至红外光区间表现出更强的光吸收响应;静态介电常数ε1(0)大幅增加.结果表明,压缩应力对BlueP/MoTe₂和BlueP/WTe₂能带排列、光吸收特性均有显著的调控作用,其中BlueP/MoTe₂对调控更敏感,这些特性也使BlueP/XTe₂异质结在窄禁带中红外半导体材料及光电器件具有令人期待的应用价值.     

Electronic properties of InAs/GaAs nanowire superlattices

The electronic properties of strained InAs/GaAs nanowire superlattices are computed using a semi-empirical sp³d⁵s^* tight-binding model, taking strains, piezoelectric fields and image charge effects into account. Strain relaxation appears to be efficient in nanowire heterostructures, but is highly inhomogeneous in thin InAs layers. It digs a well in the conduction band that traps the electrons at the surface of the nanowires. This likely decreases the oscillator strength and might ease the capture of the electrons by nearby surface defects.     

Strain and electric-field induced tunable electronic properties of blue phosphorus-GeS/SnS/SnSe (orthorhombic) vdW heterostructures

In this work, we composite blue phosphorous (blueP) and monolayer GeS/SnS/SnSe through van der Waals (vdW) force interaction. It is found that blueP-GeS/SnS heterostructures are stable and form type-II band alignments, which can effectively promote the separation of photoinduced carriers. We perform a systematic theoretical study of interlayer coupling effects and band realignment of blueP-GeS/SnS/SnSe heterostructures after the strain and electric-field are imposed. BlueP and GeS/SnS/SnSe are twisted with different angles, and the theoretical framework of bands alignment and carriers' separation are established. The results show that the electronic properties of independent blueP and GeS/SnS/SnSe can be roughly maintained. When strain is applied, the band alignment shows significant adjustability by changing the external strain. Besides, the blueP-SnSe heterostructure show type-II characteristic in the range from -0.25 V/Å to -0.1 V/Å. Our theoretical calculation proves that strain and electric field engineering are two useful methods to design novel electronic devices.     

A theoretical study of band structure properties for III–V nitrides quantum wells

Reliable and precise knowledge about the strain and composition effects on the band structure properties is crucial for the optimization of InGaN based heterostructures for electronic and optoelectronic device applications. AlInGaN as quaternary barrier material permits to control the band gap and the lattice constant independently. Using the model solid theory and the multi-band k.p interaction model, we investigate the composition effects on band offsets and band structure for pseudomorphic Ga_1−xIn_xN/Al_zIn_yGa_1−y−zN (0 0 1) heterointerfaces having zinc-blende structure. The results show that both conduction and valence band states are strongly modified while varying In and Al contents in the well and barrier materials. Furthermore, it is found that using AlInGaN as the barrier material allows the design of heterostructures including InGaN wells with tensile, zero or compressive strain. Such results give new insights for III-nitride compounds based applications and especially may guide the design of white-light emission diodes.     

Electronic Transport and Thermopower in 2D and 3D Heterostructures—A Theory Perspective

The impact of interfaces and heterojuctions on the electronic and thermoelectric transport properties of materials is discussed herein. Recent progress in understanding electronic transport in heterostructures of 2D materials ranging from graphene to transition metal dichalcogenides, their homojunctions (grain boundaries), lateral heterojunctions (such as graphene/MoS₂ lateral interfaces), and vertical van der Waals heterostructures is reviewed. Work on thermopower in 2D heterojunctions, as well as their applications in creating devices such as resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs), is also discussed. Last, the focus turns to work in 3D heterostructures. While transport in 3D heterostructures has been researched for several decades, here recent progress in theory and simulation of quantum effects on transport via the Wigner and non‐equilibrium Green's functions approaches is reviewed. These simulation techniques have been successfully applied toward understanding the impact of heterojunctions on transport properties and thermopower, which finds applications in energy harvesting, and electron resonant tunneling, with applications in RTDs. In conclusion, tremendous progress has been made in both simulation and experiments toward the goal of understanding transport in heterostructures and this progress will soon be parlayed into improved energy converters and quantum nanoelectronic devices.     

Tunable electronic properties of GaS-SnS2 heterostructure by strain and electric field

Vertically stacked heterostructures have received extensive attention because of their tunable electronic structures and outstanding optical properties. In this work, we study the structural, electronic, and optical properties of vertically stacked GaS-SnS₂ heterostructure under the frame of density functional theory. We find that the stacked GaS-SnS₂ heterostructure is a semiconductor with a suitable indirect band gap of 1.82 eV, exhibiting a type-II band alignment for easily separating the photo-generated carriers. The electronic properties of GaS-SnS₂ heterostructure can be effectively tuned by an external strain and electric field. The optical absorption of GaS-SnS₂ heterostructure is more enhanced than those of the GaS monolayer and SnS₂ monolayer in the visible light region. Our results suggest that the GaS-SnS₂ heterostructure is a promising candidate for the photocatalyst and photoelectronic devices in the visible light region.     

N、P掺杂硼烯/石墨烯异质结的密度泛函理论研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算方法系统研究了氮、磷掺杂对硼烯/石墨烯异质结的几何结构和电子性质的影响.结果表明,相较完整硼烯/石墨烯异质结的金属特性,氮、磷掺杂的硼烯/石墨烯异质结均表现为半导体特性.室温下的分子动力学模拟进一步论证了相关体系的动力学稳定性.研究结果能够为硼烯/石墨烯异质结在新型二维半导体材料中的应用提供参考价值.     

Electronic,dielectric and mechanical properties of MoS2/SiC hybrid bilayer: A first principle study

The electronic, mechanical and dielectric properties of lateral MoS₂/SiC heterobilayer are investigated using first principles calculations. Among various stacking conformations, the energetically favorable stackings namely AA₂ and AB′₁ have been considered in the present study. The band gap of the heterobilayer shows reduction as compared to constituent monolayers which also remains stacking dependent. The electronic band-gap is further tunable by applying mechanical strain and perpendicular electric field that rendered heterostructures from semiconductor to metal at critical value of applied strain/field. The stacking of heterobilayer strongly influence its mechanical properties e.g. ultimate tensile strength of considered two favorable stacking differ by more than 50%; the ultimate tensile strain of 17% and 21% respectively has been calculated for two different stackings. The static dielectric constant also shows tunability on heterostructuring the constituent monolayers as well as applying strain and field. These tunable properties of MoS₂/SiC may be useful for the device applications at nanoscale.     

Tunable electronic and optical properties of GaS/GaSe van der Waals heterostructure

We have used first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic and optical properties of GaS/GaSe van der Waals heterostructures formed by stacking two-dimensional GaSe and GaSe monolayers. Our findings confirm that the GaS/GaSe heterostructures transform from an indirect to a direct band gap material for the two stackings considered in this study. In addition, we found that the direct band gaps are 1.780 eV and 1.736 eV for AA and AB stacking, respectively. It is observed that the behavior of the optical properties of AA stacking is similar to AB stacking with some differences in details and both heterostructures located in UV range. The refractive index values are 2.21 (AA pattern) and 2.18 (AB pattern) at zero photon energy limit and increase to 2.937 for AA and 2.18 AB patterns and both located in the visible region. More importantly, the GaS/GaSe heterostructures have a variety of extraordinary electronic and optical properties. Accordingly, these heterostructures can be useful for the solar cell, nanoelectronics, and optoelectronic applications.     

Electronic and optical properties of 3N-doped graphdiyne/MoS2 heterostructures tuned by biaxial strain and external electric field

The construction of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures by stacking different two-dimensional layered materials have been recognised as an effective strategy to obtain the desired properties. The 3N-doped graphdiyne (N-GY) has been successfully synthesized in the laboratory. It could be assembled into a supercapacitor and can be used for tensile energy storage. However, the flat band and wide forbidden bands could hinder its application of N-GY layer in optoelectronic and nanoelectronic devices. In order to extend the application of N-GY layer in electronic devices, MoS₂ was selected to construct an N-GY/MoS₂ heterostructure due to its good electronic and optical properties. The N-GY/MoS₂ heterostructure has an optical absorption range from the visible to ultraviolet with a absorption coefficient of 10⁵ cm^-1. The N-GY/MoS₂ heterostructure exhibits a type-Ⅱ band alignment allows the electron-hole to be located on N-GY and MoS₂ respectively, which can further reduce the electron-hole complexation to increase exciton lifetime. The power conversion efficiency of N-GY/MoS₂ heterostructure is up to 17.77%, indicating it is a promising candidate material for solar cells. In addition, the external electric field and biaxial strain could effectively tune the electronic structure. Our results provide a theoretical support for the design and application of N-GY/MoS₂ vdW heterostructures in semiconductor sensors and photovoltaic devices.     

ZnO/GaN核壳异质结电子结构和光学特性第一性原理研究

采用密度泛函理论框架下的第一性原理方法计算了ZnO/GaN核壳异质结的电子结构和光学特性.计算结果表明:[10 10]和[11 20]晶面的异质结在带隙边缘价带顶和导带底的电子态密度各自主要由氮原子和锌原子贡献.以[10 10]晶面为侧面的异质结结构的介电函数虚部(ε₂)的曲线具有相似的特征,都是价带的氮原子到导带锌原子的跃迁,但峰位依赖于核层数和壳层数的不同而有所偏移.相对地,以[11 20]晶面为侧面的结构,其ε₂的曲线与[10 10]晶面的情况有着很大的差别,其出现了一个由镓原子与氮原子之间的跃迁形成的峰.因此,可以通过控制异质结的晶面来实现对其光学特性的调控.这种新型异质结将在发光器件、光电太阳能电池、生物探测等方面具有一定的应用价值.     

Strained 2D Layered Materials and Heterojunctions

2D layered materials and heterojunctions with excellent ductility and controllable atomic‐layer thicknesses have shown promise for use in advanced electronics and optical functional devices. Tailoring of nanoscale configurations and physical properties is essential and required for bespoke fabrication of advanced devices based on 2D materials. Due to the high strain tolerance of 2D layered materials, strain engineering is an effective method to tune their behaviors of electrons and phonons. A wide variety of 2D materials are available with tunable bandgaps from interface coupling effects, making 2D layered heterojunctions a versatile platform for understanding fundamental physical issues. Most physical properties and functional applications can be tailored by applying strain to 2D layered materials and heterostructures to realize a scheduled target in carrier concentration, mobility, and barrier height. Herein, the latest research on the roles of strain in modulating the physical properties of 2D layered materials and heterojunctions is introduced, focusing on the physical properties behind strain modulation in 2D materials. Understanding and manipulating strain in 2D layered materials and heterojunctions is important and beneficial for creating tunable electronic and optoelectronic constructions with advanced components, including functional flexible and wearable devices.     

Strong interlayer coupling in phosphorene/graphene van der Waals heterostructure: A first-principles investigation

Based on first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory, we study the electronic properties of phosphorene/graphene heterostructures. Band gaps with different sizes are observed in the heterostructure, and charges transfer from graphene to phosphorene, causing the Fermi level of the heterostructure to shift downward with respect to the Dirac point of graphene. Significantly, strong coupling between two layers is discovered in the band spectrum even though it has a van der Waals heterostructure. A tight-binding Hamiltonian model is used to reveal that the resonance of the Bloch states between the phosphorene and graphene layers in certain K points combines with the symmetry matching between band states, which explains the reason for the strong coupling in such heterostructures. This work may enhance the understanding of interlayer interaction and composition mechanisms in van der Waals heterostructures consisting of two-dimensional layered nanomaterials, and may indicate potential reference information for nanoelectronic and optoelectronic applications.     

Low-energy electron-excited nanoluminescence studies of GaN and related materials

We have used low-energy electron-excited nanoluminescence (LEEN) spectroscopy combined with ultrahigh vacuum surface analysis techniques to obtain electronic bandgap, confined state and deep-level trap information from III nitride compound semiconductor surfaces and their buried interfaces on a nanometer scale. Localized states are evident at GaN/InGaN quantum wells, GaN ultrathin films, AlGaN/GaN pseudomorphic heterostructures, and GaN/Al₂O₃ interfaces that are sensitive to the chemical composition, bonding and atomic structure near interfaces, and in turn to the specifics of the epitaxial growth process. Identification of electrically active defects in these multilayer nanostructures provides information to optimize interface growth and control local electronic properties.     

Modulation of band gap by normal strain and an applied electric field in SiC-based heterostructures

The structure and electronic properties of the WS₂/SiC van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures under the influence of normal strain and an external electric field have been investigated by the ab initio method. Our results reveal that the compressive strain has much influence on the band gap of the vdW heterostructures and the band gap monotonically increases from 1.330 to 1.629 eV. The results also imply that electrons are likely to transfer from WS₂ to SiC monolayer due to the deeper potential of SiC monolayer. Interestingly, by applying a vertical external electric field, the results present a parabola-like relationship between the band gap and the strength. As the E-field changes from to ?0.50 +0.20 V/Å, the band gap first increases from zero to a maximum of about 1.90 eV and then decreases to zero. The significant variations of band gap are owing to different states of W, S, Si, and C atoms in conduction band and valence band. The predicted electric field tunable band gap of the WS₂/SiC vdW heterostructures is very promising for its potential use in nanodevices.     

Tunable magnetic interaction at the atomic scale in oxide heterostructures

We report on a systematic study of a number of structurally identical but chemically distinct transition metal oxides in order to determine how the material-specific properties such as the composition and the strain affect the properties at the interface of heterostructures. Our study considers a series of structures containing two layers of ferromagnetic SrRuO?, with antiferromagnetic insulating manganites sandwiched in between. The results demonstrate how to control the strength and relative orientation of interfacial ferromagnetism in correlated electron materials by means of valence state variation and substrate-induced strain, respectively.     

Mechanical properties of lateral transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures

Transition metal dichalcogenide(TMD)monolayers attract great attention due to their specific structural,electronic and mechanical properties.The formation of their lateral heterostructures allows a new degree of flexibility in engineering electronic and optoelectronic dervices.However,the mechanical properties of the lateral heterostructures are rarely investigated.In this study,a comparative investigation on the mechanical characteristics of 1H,IT'and 1H/1T'heterostructure phases of different TMD monolayers including molybdenum disulfide(M0S₂)molybdenum diselenide(MoSe₂),Tungsten disulfide(WS₂),and Tungsten diselenide(WSe₂)was conducted by means of density functional theory(DFT)calculations.Our results indicate that the impact of the lateral heterostructures has a relatively weak mechanical strength for all the TMD monolayers.The significant correlation bet ween the mechanical properties of the TMD monolayers and their structural phases can be used to tune their stiffness of the materials.Our findings,therefore,suggest a novel strategy to manipulate the mechanical characteristics of TMDs by engineering their structural phases for their practical applications.     

Edge-and strain-induced band bending in bilayer-monolayer Pb_2Se_3 heterostructures

By using scanning tunneling microscope/microscopy(STM/STS), we reveal the detailed electronic structures around the sharp edges and strained terraces of lateral monolayer-bilayer Pd₂Se₃ heterostructures. We find that the edges of such heterostructures are well-defined zigzag type. Band bending and alignment are observed across the zigzag edge, forming a monolayer-bilayer heterojunction. In addition, an n-type band bending is induced by strain on a confined bilayer Pd₂Se₃ terrace. These results provide effective toolsets to tune the band structures in Pd₂Se₃-based heterostructures and devices.