Dielectrics for Two-Dimensional Transition-Metal Dichalcogenide Applications

Despite over a decade of intense research efforts, the full potential of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides continues to be limited by major challenges. The lack of compatible and scalable dielectric materials and integration techniques restrict device performances and their commercial applications. Conventional dielectric integration techniques for bulk semiconductors are difficult to adapt for atomically thin two-dimensional materials. This review provides a brief introduction into various common and emerging dielectric synthesis and integration techniques and discusses their applicability for 2D transition metal dichalcogenides. Dielectric integration for various applications is reviewed in subsequent sections including nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, flexible electronics, valleytronics, biosensing, quantum information processing, and quantum sensing. For each application, we introduce basic device working principles, discuss the specific dielectric requirements, review current progress, present key challenges, and offer insights into future prospects and opportunities.

Liquid-Metal-Printed Ultrathin Oxides for Atomically Smooth 2D Material Heterostructures

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors are promising channel materials for continued downscaling of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic circuits. However, their full potential continues to be limited by a lack of scalable high-k dielectrics that can achieve atomically smooth interfaces, small equivalent oxide thicknesses (EOTs), excellent gate control, and low leakage currents. Here, large-area liquid-metal-printed ultrathin Ga₂O₃ dielectrics for 2D electronics and optoelectronics are reported. The atomically smooth Ga₂O₃/WS₂ interfaces enabled by the conformal nature of liquid metal printing are directly visualized. Atomic layer deposition compatibility with high-k Ga₂O₃/HfO₂ top-gate dielectric stacks on a chemical-vapor-deposition-grown monolayer WS₂ is demonstrated, achieving EOTs of ∼1 nm and subthreshold swings down to 84.9 mV/dec. Gate leakage currents are well within requirements for ultrascaled low-power logic circuits. These results show that liquid-metal-printed oxides can bridge a crucial gap in dielectric integration of 2D materials for next-generation nanoelectronics.

Mechanophotonics: precise selection, assembly and disassembly of polymer optical microcavities via mechanical manipulation for spectral engineering

The advancement of nanoscience and technology relies on the development and utility of innovative techniques. Precise manipulation of photonic microcavities is one of the fundamental challenges in nanophotonics. This challenge impedes the construction of optoelectronic and photonic microcircuits. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate here that an atomic force microscopy cantilever and confocal microscopy can be used together to mechanically micromanipulate polymer-based whispering gallery mode microcavities or microresonators into well-ordered geometries. The micromanipulation technique efficiently assembles or disassembles resonators and also produces well-ordered dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer assemblies of resonators in linear and bent geometries. Interestingly, an intricate L-shaped coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) comprising a pentamer assembly effectively transduces light through a 90° bend angle. The presented new research direction, which combines mechanical manipulation and nanophotonics, is also expected to open up a plethora of opportunities in nano and microstructure-based research areas including nanoelectronics and nanobiology.

Photonic Microresonators from Charge Transfer in Polymer Particles: Toward Enhanced and Tunable Two-Photon Emission

Novel photonic microresonators with enhanced nonlinear optical (NLO) intensity are fabricated from polymer particles. As an additional advantage, they offer band gap tunability from the visible to near-infrared regions. A special protocol including (i) copolymerization of 4-(1-pyrenyl)-styrene, styrene, and 1,4-divinylbenzene, (ii) extraction of a dispersible and partly dissolvable, lightly cross-linked polymer network (PN), and (iii) treatment of the blue-emitting PN with electron acceptor (A) molecules such as 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (TCNB) and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) furnishes orange- and red-emitting D-A charge-transfer (CT) complexes with the pendant pyrene units. These complexes, here named PN-TCNB and PN-TCNQ, respectively, precipitate as microparticles upon the addition of water and subsequent ultrasonication. Upon electronic excitation, these spherical microparticles act as whispering-gallery-mode resonators by displaying optical resonances in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra because of light confinement. Further, the trapped incident light increases the light-matter interaction and thereby enhances the PL intensity, including the two-photon luminescence. The described protocol for polymer-based CT microresonators with tunable NLO emissions holds promise for a myriad of photonic applications.

Two-Photon Luminescence and Second-Harmonic Generation in Organic Nonlinear Surface Comprised of Self-Assembled Frustum Shaped Organic Microlasers

An ultrathin nonlinear optical (NLO) organic surface composed of numerous self-assembled frustum-shaped whispering-gallery-mode resonators displays both two-photon luminescence and second-harmonic-generation signals. A super-second-order increase of the NLO intensity with respect to pump power confirms the microlasing action and practical usefulness of the NLO organic surfaces.

Two-Photon Luminescence and Second-Harmonic Generation in Organic Nonlinear Surface Comprised of Self-Assembled Frustum Shaped Organic Microlasers

An ultrathin nonlinear optical (NLO) organic surface composed of numerous self-assembled frustum-shaped whispering-gallery-mode resonators displays both two-photon luminescence and second-harmonic-generation signals. A super-second-order increase of the NLO intensity with respect to pump power confirms the microlasing action and practical usefulness of the NLO organic surfaces.

Visible-Near-Infrared Range Whispering Gallery Resonance from Photonic μ-Sphere Cavities Self-Assembled from a Blend of Polystyrene and Poly[4,7-bis(3-octylthiophene-2-yl)benzothiadiazole-co-2,6-bis(pyrazolyl)pyridine] Coordinated to Tb(acac)3

A novel red emitting copolymer (P1) was prepared (Mn ∼ 10.7 kDa) by copolymerizing tridentate ligand, namely 2,6-bis(pyrazolyl)pyridine (BPP) with 4,7-bis(2-ethynyl-5-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole. This copolymer readily formed an orange yellow emitting metal containing conjugated polymer (P1.Tb) with Tb(acac)3. Further, a judicial blend of P1.Tb with polystyrene and its subsequent self-assembly in THF/water produced microspheres with smooth surface area. Interestingly, continuous wave laser excitation of a single microsphere displayed whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonance modes over a broad wavelength range covering visible (Vis) and near-infrared (NIR) regions (0.550-0.875 μm). The estimated Q factor was up to 700, which is very high for a metal containing conjugated polymer (MCCP)-based optical gain medium.

Single-particle to single-particle transformation of an active type organic μ-tubular homo-structure photonic resonator into a passive type hetero-structure resonator

We report an original “laser burning” technique to create organic hetero-structures displaying passive type whispering-gallery-mode resonance in the Vis-NIR region.