In-vacuum projection of nanoparticles for on-chip tunneling spectroscopy

High-yield parallel fabrication of quantum-dot monolayer single-electron devices displaying Coulomb staircase, contacted by graphene

It is challenging for conventional top-down lithography to fabricate reproducible devices very close to atomic dimensions, whereas identical molecules and very similar nanoparticles can be made bottom-up in large quantities, and can be self-assembled on surfaces. The challenge is to fabricate electrical contacts to many such small objects at the same time, so that nanocrystals and molecules can be incorporated into conventional integrated circuits. Here, we report a scalable method for contacting a self-assembled monolayer of nanoparticles with a single layer of graphene. This produces single-electron effects, in the form of a Coulomb staircase, with a yield of 87 ± 13% in device areas ranging from < 800 nm² to 16 μm², containing up to 650,000 nanoparticles. Our technique offers scalable assembly of ultra-high densities of functional particles or molecules that could be used in electronic integrated circuits, as memories, switches, sensors or thermoelectric generators.

The integration of nano-molecules into microelectronic circuitry is challenging. Here, the authors provide a scalable method for contacting a self-assembled monolayer of nanoparticles with a single layer of graphene that produces single-electron effects, in the form of a Coulomb staircase, with a yield of at least 70%.

Theoretical Bounds on Electron Energy Filtering in Disordered Nanomaterials

Electron energy filters have recently been proposed as a method of reducing the effects of thermal broadening in device and sensing applications, enabling substantial improvements in their room temperature performance. Nanostructured materials can act as electron energy filters by funneling thermally broadened electrons through discrete energy levels. In this study, we develop a theoretical model of the electron filtering properties of nanostructured materials that explicitly includes the effects of thermal broadening and size heterogeneity on the heterogeneity of nanostructure energy levels. We find that under certain conditions quantum dot solids can perform as effective electronic energy filters. We identify a material-specific length scale parameter, L_crit, that specifies the maximum mean quantum dot size that can yield effective energy filtering. Moreover, we show that energy filtering materials composed of quantum dots with size near L_crit are maximally robust to heterogeneity in quantum dot size, tolerating variations ∼10% of the mean size. The length scale L_crit can be estimated directly from the widely tabulated density of states effective mass and shows that semiconductors with light conduction band electrons, such as III-V type materials InSb and GaAs, are the most forgiving for energy filtering applications. Taken together, these results provide a practical set of quantitative design principles for semiconductor electron filters.

Transport in a Single Self-Doped Nanocrystal

Addressing the optical properties of a single nanoparticle in the infrared is particularly challenging, thus alternative methods for characterizing the conductance spectrum of nanoparticles in this spectral range need to be developed. Here we describe an efficient method of fabricating single nanoparticle tunnel junctions on a chip circuit. We apply this method to narrow band gap nanoparticles of HgSe, which band structure combines the inverted character of the bulk semimetal with quantum confinement and self-doping. Upon tuning the gate bias, measurement reveals the presence of two energy gaps in the spectrum. The wider gap results from the interband gap, while the narrower gap results from intraband transitions. The observation of the latter near zero gate voltage confirms the doped character of the nanoparticle at the single particle level, which is in full agreement with the ensemble optical and transport measurements. Finally we probe the phototransport within a single quantum dot and demonstrate a large photogain mechanism resulting from photogating.

Nanoplatelets bridging a nanotrench: a new architecture for photodetectors with increased sensitivity

Interparticle charge hopping severely limits the integration of colloidal nanocrystals films for optoelectronic device applications. We propose here to overcome this problem by using high aspect ratio interconnects made of wide electrodes separated by a few tens of namometers, a distance matching the size of a single nanoplatelet. The semiconducting CdSe/CdS nanoplatelet coupling with such electrodes allows an efficient electron-hole pair dissociation despite the large binding energy of the exciton, resulting in optimal photoconductance responsivity. We report the highest responsivity obtained so far for CdSe colloidal material with values reaching kA·W(-1), corresponding to eight decades of enhancement compared to usual micrometer-scaled architectures. In addition, a decrease of 1 order of magnitude of the current noise is observed, revealing the reduced influence of the surface traps on transport. The nanotrench geometry provides top access to ion gel electrolyte gating, allowing for a photoresponsive transistor with 10(4) on/off ratio. A simple analytical model reproduces the device behavior and underlines the key parameters related to its performance.

Two-dimensional colloidal metal chalcogenides semiconductors: synthesis, spectroscopy, and applications

CONSPECTUS: Semiconductors are at the basis of electronics. Up to now, most devices that contain semiconductors use materials obtained from a top down approach with semiconductors grown by molecular beam epitaxy or chemical vapor deposition. Colloidal semiconductor nanoparticles have been synthesized for more than 30 years now, and their synthesis is becoming mature enough that these nanoparticles have started to be incorporated into devices. An important development that recently took place in the field of colloidal quantum dots is the synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor nanoplatelets that appear as free-standing nanosheets. These 2D colloidal systems are the newborn in the family of shaped-controlled nanoparticles that started with spheres, was extended with rods and wires, continued with tetrapods, and now ends with platelets. From a physical point of view, these objects bring 1D-confined particles into the colloidal family. It is a notable addition, since these platelets can have a thickness that is controlled with atomic precision, so that no inhomogeneous broadening is observed. Because they have two large free interfaces, mirror charges play an important role, and the binding energy of the exciton is extremely large. These two effects almost perfectly compensate each other, it results in particles with unique spectroscopic properties such as fast fluorescent lifetimes and extreme color purity (narrow full width at half-maximum of their emission spectra). These nanoplatelets with extremely large confinement but very simple and well-defined chemistry are model systems to check and further develop, notably with the incorporation in the models of the organic/inorganic interface, various theoretical approaches used for colloidal particles. From a chemical point of view, these colloidal particles are a model system to study the role of ligands since they have precisely defined facets. In addition, the synthesis of these highly anisotropic objects triggered new research to understand at a mechanistic level how this strong anisotropy could be generated. Luckily, some of the chemical know-how built with the spherical and rod-shaped particles is being transferred, with some adaptation, to 2D systems, so that 2D core/shell and core/crown heterostructures have recently been introduced. These objects are very interesting because they suggest that multiple quantum wells could be grown in solution. From the application point of view, 2D colloidal nanoplatelets offer interesting perspectives when color purity, charge conductivity, or field tunable absorption are required. In this Account, we review the chemical synthesis, the physical properties, and the applications of colloidal semiconductor nanoplatelets with an emphasis on the zinc-blende nanoplatelets that were developed more specifically in our group.