Exciton

About: Exciton is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 31603 publications have been published within this topic receiving 810642 citations.

Resonantly hybridized excitons in moiré superlattices in van der Waals heterostructures

Abstract: Atomically thin layers of two-dimensional materials can be assembled in vertical stacks that are held together by relatively weak van der Waals forces, enabling coupling between monolayer crystals with incommensurate lattices and arbitrary mutual rotation1,2. Consequently, an overarching periodicity emerges in the local atomic registry of the constituent crystal structures, which is known as a moire superlattice3. In graphene/hexagonal boron nitride structures4, the presence of a moire superlattice can lead to the observation of electronic minibands5–7, whereas in twisted graphene bilayers its effects are enhanced by interlayer resonant conditions, resulting in a superconductor–insulator transition at magic twist angles8. Here, using semiconducting heterostructures assembled from incommensurate molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2) monolayers, we demonstrate that excitonic bands can hybridize, resulting in a resonant enhancement of moire superlattice effects. MoSe2 and WS2 were chosen for the near-degeneracy of their conduction-band edges, in order to promote the hybridization of intra- and interlayer excitons. Hybridization manifests through a pronounced exciton energy shift as a periodic function of the interlayer rotation angle, which occurs as hybridized excitons are formed by holes that reside in MoSe2 binding to a twist-dependent superposition of electron states in the adjacent monolayers. For heterostructures in which the monolayer pairs are nearly aligned, resonant mixing of the electron states leads to pronounced effects of the geometrical moire pattern of the heterostructure on the dispersion and optical spectra of the hybridized excitons. Our findings underpin strategies for band-structure engineering in semiconductor devices based on van der Waals heterostructures9. Excitonic bands in MoSe2/WS2 heterostructures can hybridize, resulting in a resonant enhancement of moire superlattice effects.

Absorption coefficient, energy gap, exciton binding energy, and recombination lifetime of GaN obtained from transmission measurements

Abstract: The absorption coefficient for a 0.4-μm-thick GaN layer grown on a polished sapphire substrate was determined from transmission measurements at room temperature. A strong, well defined exciton peak for the A and B excitons was obtained. The A, B, and C excitonic features are clearly defined at 77 K. At room temperature, an energy gap Eg=3.452±0.001 eV and an exciton binding energy ExA,B=20.4±0.5 meV for the A and B excitons and ExC=23.5±0.5 meV for the C exciton were determined by analysis of the absorption coefficient. From this measured absorption coefficient, together with the detailed balance approach of van Roosbroek and Shockley, the radiative constant B=1.1×10−8 cm3/s was obtained.

Valley-polarized exciton dynamics in a 2D semiconductor heterostructure.

Abstract: Heterostructures comprising different monolayer semiconductors provide an attractive setting for fundamental science and device technologies, such as in the emerging field of valleytronics. We realized valley-specific interlayer excitons in monolayer WSe2-MoSe2 vertical heterostructures. We created interlayer exciton spin-valley polarization by means of circularly polarized optical pumping and determined a valley lifetime of 40 nanoseconds. This long-lived polarization enables the visualization of the expansion of a valley-polarized exciton cloud over several micrometers. The spatial pattern of the polarization evolves into a ring with increasing exciton density, a manifestation of valley exciton exchange interactions. Our work introduces van der Waals heterostructures as a promising platform from which to study valley exciton physics.

Bright triplet excitons in caesium lead halide perovskites

Abstract: Nanostructured semiconductors emit light from electronic states known as excitons. For organic materials, Hund’s rules state that the lowest-energy exciton is a poorly emitting triplet state. For inorganic semiconductors, similar rules predict an analogue of this triplet state known as the ‘dark exciton’. Because dark excitons release photons slowly, hindering emission from inorganic nanostructures, materials that disobey these rules have been sought. However, despite considerable experimental and theoretical efforts, no inorganic semiconductors have been identified in which the lowest exciton is bright. Here we show that the lowest exciton in caesium lead halide perovskites (CsPbX_3, with X = Cl, Br or I) involves a highly emissive triplet state. We first use an effective-mass model and group theory to demonstrate the possibility of such a state existing, which can occur when the strong spin–orbit coupling in the conduction band of a perovskite is combined with the Rashba effect. We then apply our model to CsPbX_3 nanocrystals, and measure size- and composition-dependent fluorescence at the single-nanocrystal level. The bright triplet character of the lowest exciton explains the anomalous photon-emission rates of these materials, which emit about 20 and 1,000 times faster than any other semiconductor nanocrystal at room and cryogenic temperatures, respectively. The existence of this bright triplet exciton is further confirmed by analysis of the fine structure in low-temperature fluorescence spectra. For semiconductor nanocrystals, which are already used in lighting, lasers and displays, these excitons could lead to materials with brighter emission. More generally, our results provide criteria for identifying other semiconductors that exhibit bright excitons, with potential implications for optoelectronic devices.