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Nanomaterials
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Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors
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Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 19898

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andrea Orsini

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Guest Editor
Engineering Department, Università degli Studi Niccolò Cusano, via don Carlo Gnocchi 3, 00166 Rome, Italy
Interests: laser treatments; charge mobility; high-temperature mixed conductivity; photovoltaic; nanosensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Stefano Salvatori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Engineering Department, Università degli Studi Niccolò Cusano, via don Carlo Gnocchi 3, 00166 Rome, Italy
Interests: design, fabrication and characterization of diamond detectors for UV, X-rays or protons; design, fabrication and realization of front-end and read-out electronics; characterization of diamond detectors with laser-formed graphite buried contacts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Semiconductor materials represent the milestone which has served as a foundation for microelectronics to evolve in recent decades. Today that the need for a green economy is mandatory to avoid dramatic scenarios and that even Moore’s Law for silicon is practically approaching its limit, semiconductor research is strongly oriented toward energy and sensing applications.

The demand for more efficient semiconductors in energy conversion has driven research in recent years to produce an incredible effort to create a new class of materials, such as hybrid perovskites. Furthermore, the nanofabrication of semiconductive materials allows the realization of functional systems showing unique geometry-related properties, favoring a strong increase in device sensitivities, but also with important repercussions in band-gap engineering and photovoltaics. The other major challenge of semiconductor research for energy and sensing applications in order to create a “real green economy”, as well as to increase device performances, should be the ability to find ecological pathways for their synthesis and subsequent functionalization at large scale and low cost.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a unique international platform for scientists to publish the latest advancements on the following main topics: 

- Novel forms of semiconducting materials such as nanoparticles, nanosheets, nanorods, quantum dots for energy, and sensing applications; 

- Three-dimensional surface and bulk restructuring/modification of semiconductive materials for the control of light trapping and surface transport properties; 

- Physical, chemical, and optical characterization of semiconductive nanomaterials and exploitation of their outstanding features for device fabrication and integration in complex systems;

- Novel procedures for the synthesis of semiconductor nanomaterials with low-toxicity and low-cost procedures.

Dr. Andrea Orsini
Prof. Dr. Stefano Salvatori
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Nanosheets
  • Nanowires
  • LIPSS
  • Charge Mobility
  • Piezotronics
  • Nanosensors

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

2 pages, 179 KiB  
Editorial
Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors
by Andrea Orsini and Stefano Salvatori
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(19), 2615; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13192615 - 22 Sep 2023
Viewed by 620
Abstract
Nanostructured semiconductors have driven the research in electronic and optoelectronic devices in the new millennium era [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

11 pages, 1629 KiB  
Article
Impact of Local Composition on the Emission Spectra of InGaN Quantum-Dot LEDs
by Daniele Barettin, Alexei V. Sakharov, Andrey F. Tsatsulnikov, Andrey E. Nikolaev, Alessandro Pecchia, Matthias Auf der Maur, Sergey Yu. Karpov and Nikolay Cherkashin
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(8), 1367; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13081367 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1205
Abstract
A possible solution for the realization of high-efficiency visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) exploits InGaN-quantum-dot-based active regions. However, the role of local composition fluctuations inside the quantum dots and their effect of the device characteristics have not yet been examined in sufficient detail. Here, [...] Read more.
A possible solution for the realization of high-efficiency visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) exploits InGaN-quantum-dot-based active regions. However, the role of local composition fluctuations inside the quantum dots and their effect of the device characteristics have not yet been examined in sufficient detail. Here, we present numerical simulations of a quantum-dot structure restored from an experimental high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image. A single InGaN island with the size of ten nanometers and nonuniform indium content distribution is analyzed. A number of two- and three-dimensional models of the quantum dot are derived from the experimental image by a special numerical algorithm, which enables electromechanical, continuum k→·p→, and empirical tight-binding calculations, including emission spectra prediction. Effectiveness of continuous and atomistic approaches are compared, and the impact of InGaN composition fluctuations on the ground-state electron and hole wave functions and quantum dot emission spectrum is analyzed in detail. Finally, comparison of the predicted spectrum with the experimental one is performed to assess the applicability of various simulation approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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12 pages, 909 KiB  
Article
Electromechanically Coupled III-N Quantum Dots
by Daniele Barettin, Alexei V. Sakharov, Andrey F. Tsatsulnikov, Andrey E. Nikolaev and Nikolay Cherkashin
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(2), 241; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13020241 - 05 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1365
Abstract
We exploit the three-dimensional (3D) character of the strain field created around InGaN islands formed within the multilayer structures spaced by a less than 1-nm-thick GaN layer for the creation of spatially correlated electronically coupled quantum dots (QDs). The laterally inhomogeneous vertical out-diffusion [...] Read more.
We exploit the three-dimensional (3D) character of the strain field created around InGaN islands formed within the multilayer structures spaced by a less than 1-nm-thick GaN layer for the creation of spatially correlated electronically coupled quantum dots (QDs). The laterally inhomogeneous vertical out-diffusion of In atoms during growth interruption is the basic mechanism for the formation of InGaN islands within as-deposited 2D layers. An anisotropic 3D strain field created in the first layer is sufficient to justify the vertical correlation of the islands formed in the upper layers spaced by a sufficiently thin GaN layer. When the thickness of a GaN spacer exceeds 1 nm, QDs from different layers under the same growth conditions emit independently and in the same wavelength range. When extremely thin (less than 1 nm), a GaN spacer is formed solely by applying short GI, and a double wavelength emission in the blue and green spectral ranges evidences the electromechanical coupling. With k→·p→ calculations including electromechanical fields, we model the optoelectronic properties of a structure with three InGaN lens-shaped QDs embedded in a GaN matrix, with three different configurations of In content. The profiles of the band structures are strongly dependent on the In content arrangement, and the quantum-confined Stark effect is significantly reduced in a structure with an increasing gradient of In content from the top to the bottom QD. This configuration exhibits carrier tunneling through the QDs, an increase of wave functions overlap, and evidence emerges of three distinct peaks in the spectral range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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15 pages, 4451 KiB  
Article
Frenkel-Poole Mechanism Unveils Black Diamond as Quasi-Epsilon-Near-Zero Surface
by Andrea Orsini, Daniele Barettin, Sara Pettinato, Stefano Salvatori, Riccardo Polini, Maria Cristina Rossi, Alessandro Bellucci, Eleonora Bolli, Marco Girolami, Matteo Mastellone, Stefano Orlando, Valerio Serpente, Veronica Valentini and Daniele Maria Trucchi
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(2), 240; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13020240 - 05 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1196
Abstract
A recent innovation in diamond technology has been the development of the “black diamond” (BD), a material with very high optical absorption generated by processing the diamond surface with a femtosecond laser. In this work, we investigate the optical behavior of the BD [...] Read more.
A recent innovation in diamond technology has been the development of the “black diamond” (BD), a material with very high optical absorption generated by processing the diamond surface with a femtosecond laser. In this work, we investigate the optical behavior of the BD samples to prove a near to zero dielectric permittivity in the high electric field condition, where the Frenkel-Poole (FP) effect takes place. Zero-epsilon materials (ENZ), which represent a singularity in optical materials, are expected to lead to remarkable developments in the fields of integrated photonic devices and optical interconnections. Such a result opens the route to the development of BD-based, novel, functional photonic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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18 pages, 7678 KiB  
Article
Room Temperature Ammonia Gas Sensor Based on p-Type-like V2O5 Nanosheets towards Food Spoilage Monitoring
by Lai Van Duy, To Thi Nguyet, Dang Thi Thanh Le, Nguyen Van Duy, Hugo Nguyen, Franco Biasioli, Matteo Tonezzer, Corrado Di Natale and Nguyen Duc Hoa
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(1), 146; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13010146 - 28 Dec 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2803
Abstract
Gas sensors play an important role in many areas of human life, including the monitoring of production processes, occupational safety, food quality assessment, and air pollution monitoring. Therefore, the need for gas sensors to monitor hazardous gases, such as ammonia, at low operating [...] Read more.
Gas sensors play an important role in many areas of human life, including the monitoring of production processes, occupational safety, food quality assessment, and air pollution monitoring. Therefore, the need for gas sensors to monitor hazardous gases, such as ammonia, at low operating temperatures has become increasingly important in many fields. Sensitivity, selectivity, low cost, and ease of production are crucial characteristics for creating a capillary network of sensors for the protection of the environment and human health. However, developing gas sensors that are not only efficient but also small and inexpensive and therefore integrable into everyday life is a difficult challenge. In this paper, we report on a resistive sensor for ammonia detection based on thin V2O5 nanosheets operating at room temperature. The small thickness and porosity of the V2O5 nanosheets give the sensors good performance for sensing ammonia at room temperature (RT), with a relative change of resistance of 9.4% to 5 ppm ammonia (NH3) and an estimated detection limit of 0.4 ppm. The sensor is selective with respect to the seven interferents tested; it is repeatable and stable over the long term (four months). Although V2O5 is generally an n-type semiconductor, in this case the nanosheets show a p-type semiconductor behavior, and thus a possible sensing mechanism is proposed. The device’s performance, along with its size, low cost, and low power consumption, makes it a good candidate for monitoring freshness and spoilage along the food supply chain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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19 pages, 5157 KiB  
Article
Nanostructured MoS2 and WS2 Photoresponses under Gas Stimuli
by Mohamed A. Basyooni, Shrouk E. Zaki, Nada Alfryyan, Mohammed Tihtih, Yasin Ramazan Eker, Gamal F. Attia, Mücahit Yılmaz, Şule Ateş and Mohamed Shaban
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(20), 3585; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12203585 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1656
Abstract
This study was on the optoelectronic properties of multilayered two-dimensional MoS2 and WS2 materials on a silicon substrate using sputtering physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. For the first time, we report ultraviolet (UV) photoresponses under air, [...] Read more.
This study was on the optoelectronic properties of multilayered two-dimensional MoS2 and WS2 materials on a silicon substrate using sputtering physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. For the first time, we report ultraviolet (UV) photoresponses under air, CO2, and O2 environments at different flow rates. The electrical Hall effect measurement showed the existence of MoS2 (n-type)/Si (p-type) and WS2 (P-type)/Si (p-type) heterojunctions with a higher sheet carrier concentration of 5.50 × 105 cm−2 for WS2 thin film. The IV electrical results revealed that WS2 is more reactive than MoS2 film under different gas stimuli. WS2 film showed high stability under different bias voltages, even at zero bias voltage, due to the noticeably good carrier mobility of 29.8 × 102 cm2/V. WS2 film indicated a fast rise/decay time of 0.23/0.21 s under air while a faster response of 0.190/0.10 s under a CO2 environment was observed. Additionally, the external quantum efficiency of WS2 revealed a remarkable enhancement in the CO2 environment of 1.62 × 108 compared to MoS2 film with 6.74 × 106. According to our findings, the presence of CO2 on the surface of WS2 improves such optoelectronic properties as photocurrent gain, photoresponsivity, external quantum efficiency, and detectivity. These results indicate potential applications of WS2 as a photodetector under gas stimuli for future optoelectronic applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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14 pages, 10276 KiB  
Article
Light-Trapping Electrode for the Efficiency Enhancement of Bifacial Perovskite Solar Cells
by Anna A. Obraztsova, Daniele Barettin, Aleksandra D. Furasova, Pavel M. Voroshilov, Matthias Auf der Maur, Andrea Orsini and Sergey V. Makarov
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(18), 3210; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12183210 - 15 Sep 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2058
Abstract
Antireflection and light-trapping coatings are important parts of photovoltaic architectures, which enable the reduction of parasitic optical losses, and therefore increase the power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, we propose a novel approach to enhance the efficiency of perovskite solar cells using a light-trapping [...] Read more.
Antireflection and light-trapping coatings are important parts of photovoltaic architectures, which enable the reduction of parasitic optical losses, and therefore increase the power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, we propose a novel approach to enhance the efficiency of perovskite solar cells using a light-trapping electrode (LTE) with non-reciprocal optical transmission, consisting of a perforated metal film covered with a densely packed array of nanospheres. Our LTE combines charge collection and light trapping, and it can replace classical transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) such as ITO or FTO, providing better optical transmission and conductivity. One of the most promising applications of our original LTE is the optimization of efficient bifacial perovskite solar cells. We demonstrate that with our LTE, the short-circuit current density and fill factor are improved for both front and back illumination of the solar cells. Thus, we observe an 11% improvement in the light absorption for the monofacial PSCs, and a 15% for the bifacial PSCs. The best theoretical results of efficiency for our PSCs are 27.9% (monofacial) and 33.4% (bifacial). Our study opens new prospects for the further efficiency enhancement for perovskite solar cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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16 pages, 3471 KiB  
Article
Charge Transport Mechanisms of Black Diamond at Cryogenic Temperatures
by Andrea Orsini, Daniele Barettin, Federica Ercoli, Maria Cristina Rossi, Sara Pettinato, Stefano Salvatori, Alessio Mezzi, Riccardo Polini, Alessandro Bellucci, Matteo Mastellone, Marco Girolami, Veronica Valentini, Stefano Orlando and Daniele Maria Trucchi
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(13), 2253; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12132253 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1499
Abstract
Black diamond is an emerging material for solar applications. The femtosecond laser surface treatment of pristine transparent diamond allows the solar absorptance to be increased to values greater than 90% from semi-transparency conditions. In addition, the defects introduced by fs-laser treatment strongly increase [...] Read more.
Black diamond is an emerging material for solar applications. The femtosecond laser surface treatment of pristine transparent diamond allows the solar absorptance to be increased to values greater than 90% from semi-transparency conditions. In addition, the defects introduced by fs-laser treatment strongly increase the diamond surface electrical conductivity and a very-low activation energy is observed at room temperature. In this work, the investigation of electronic transport mechanisms of a fs-laser nanotextured diamond surface is reported. The charge transport was studied down to cryogenic temperatures, in the 30–300 K range. The samples show an activation energy of a few tens of meV in the highest temperature interval and for T < 50 K, the activation energy diminishes to a few meV. Moreover, thanks to fast cycles of measurement, we noticed that the black-diamond samples also seem to show a behavior close to ferromagnetic materials, suggesting electron spin influence over the transport properties. The mentioned properties open a new perspective in designing novel diamond-based biosensors and a deep knowledge of the charge-carrier transport in black diamond becomes fundamental. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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14 pages, 5122 KiB  
Article
Mechanisms of Scaling Effect for Emerging Nanoscale Interconnect Materials
by Kai Zhao, Yuanzhao Hu, Gang Du, Yudi Zhao and Junchen Dong
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(10), 1760; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12101760 - 21 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2159
Abstract
The resistivity of Cu interconnects increases rapidly with continuously scaling down due to scatterings, causing a major challenge for future nodes in M0 and M1 layers. Here, A Boltzmann-transport-equation-based Monte Carlo simulator, including all the major scattering mechanisms of interconnects, is developed for [...] Read more.
The resistivity of Cu interconnects increases rapidly with continuously scaling down due to scatterings, causing a major challenge for future nodes in M0 and M1 layers. Here, A Boltzmann-transport-equation-based Monte Carlo simulator, including all the major scattering mechanisms of interconnects, is developed for the evaluation of electron transport behaviors. Good agreements between our simulation and the experimental results are achieved for Cu, Ru, Co, and W, from bulk down to 10 nm interconnects. The line resistance values of the four materials with the inclusion of liner and barrier thicknesses are calculated in the same footprint for a fair comparison. The impact of high aspect ratio on resistivity is analyzed for promising buried power rail materials, such as Ru and W. Our results show that grain boundary scattering plays the most important role in nano-scale interconnects, followed by surface roughness and plasma excimer scattering. Surface roughness scattering is the origin of the resistivity decrease for high-aspect-ratio conductive rails. In addition, the grain sizes for the technical nodes of different materials are extracted and the impact of grain size on resistivity is analyzed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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18 pages, 15700 KiB  
Article
Tuning the Metal–Insulator Transition Properties of VO2 Thin Films with the Synergetic Combination of Oxygen Vacancies, Strain Engineering, and Tungsten Doping
by Mohamed A. Basyooni, Mawaheb Al-Dossari, Shrouk E. Zaki, Yasin Ramazan Eker, Mucahit Yilmaz and Mohamed Shaban
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(9), 1470; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12091470 - 26 Apr 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2940
Abstract
Vanadium oxide (VO2) is considered a Peierls–Mott insulator with a metal–insulator transition (MIT) at Tc = 68° C. The tuning of MIT parameters is a crucial point to use VO2 within thermoelectric, electrochromic, or thermochromic applications. In this study, [...] Read more.
Vanadium oxide (VO2) is considered a Peierls–Mott insulator with a metal–insulator transition (MIT) at Tc = 68° C. The tuning of MIT parameters is a crucial point to use VO2 within thermoelectric, electrochromic, or thermochromic applications. In this study, the effect of oxygen deficiencies, strain engineering, and metal tungsten doping are combined to tune the MIT with a low phase transition of 20 °C in the air without capsulation. Narrow hysteresis phase transition devices based on multilayer VO2, WO3, Mo0.2W0.8O3, and/or MoO3 oxide thin films deposited through a high vacuum sputtering are investigated. The deposited films are structurally, chemically, electrically, and optically characterized. Different conductivity behaviour was observed, with the highest value towards VO1.75/WO2.94 and the lowest VO1.75 on FTO glass. VO1.75/WO2.94 showed a narrow hysteresis curve with a single-phase transition. Thanks to the role of oxygen vacancies, the MIT temperature decreased to 35 °C, while the lowest value (Tc = 20 °C) was reached with Mo0.2W0.8O3/VO2/MoO3 structure. In this former sample, Mo0.2W0.8O3 was used for the first time as an anti-reflective and anti-oxidative layer. The results showed that the MoO3 bottom layer is more suitable than WO3 to enhance the electrical properties of VO2 thin films. This work is applied to fast phase transition devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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Review

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37 pages, 4997 KiB  
Review
State of the Art of Continuous and Atomistic Modeling of Electromechanical Properties of Semiconductor Quantum Dots
by Daniele Barettin
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(12), 1820; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13121820 - 07 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1062
Abstract
The main intent of this paper is to present an exhaustive description of the most relevant mathematical models for the electromechanical properties of heterostructure quantum dots. Models are applied both to wurtzite and zincblende quantum dot due to the relevance they have shown [...] Read more.
The main intent of this paper is to present an exhaustive description of the most relevant mathematical models for the electromechanical properties of heterostructure quantum dots. Models are applied both to wurtzite and zincblende quantum dot due to the relevance they have shown for optoelectronic applications. In addition to a complete overview of the continuous and atomistic models for the electromechanical fields, analytical results will be presented for some relevant approximations, some of which are unpublished, such as models in cylindrical approximation or a cubic approximation for the transformation of a zincblende parametrization to a wurtzite one and vice versa. All analytical models will be supported by a wide range of numerical results, most of which are also compared with experimental measurements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical, Optical, and Transport Properties of Semiconductors)
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