Electroluminescence from pure resonant states in hBN-based vertical tunneling junctions

Magdalena Grzeszczyk; Kristina Vaklinova; Kenji Watanabe; Takashi Taniguchi; Konstantin S. Novoselov; Maciej Koperski

doi:10.1038/s41377-024-01491-5

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Electroluminescence from pure resonant states in hBN-based vertical tunneling junctions

Original Articles

- Electroluminescence from pure resonant states in hBN-based vertical tunneling junctions
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 13, Issue 8, Pages: 1557-1564(2024)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117544, Singapore
  2.Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
  3.International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
  4.Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
- Author bio：
  
  Magdalena Grzeszczyk (magda@nus.edu.sg)
  Maciej Koperski (msemaci@nus.edu.sg)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-024-01491-5
  CLC：
- Received：04 November 2023，
  
  Revised：08 May 2024，
  
  Accepted：2024-05-21，
  
  Published Online：08 July 2024，
  
  Published：31 August 2024
- Accepted：
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Grzeszczyk, M. et al. Electroluminescence from pure resonant states in hBN-based vertical tunneling junctions. Light: Science & Applications, 13, 1557-1564 (2024).
DOI：

Grzeszczyk, M. et al. Electroluminescence from pure resonant states in hBN-based vertical tunneling junctions. Light: Science & Applications, 13, 1557-1564 (2024). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-024-01491-5.

摘要

Abstract

Defect centers in wide-band-gap crystals have garnered interest for their potential in applications among optoelectronic and sensor technologies. However

defects embedded in highly insulating crystals

like diamond

silicon carbide

or aluminum oxide

have been notoriously difficult to excite electrically due to their large internal resistance. To address this challenge

we realized a new paradigm of exciting defects in vertical tunneling junctions based on carbon centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). The rational design of the devices via van der Waals technology enabled us to raise and control optical processes related to defect-to-band and intradefect electroluminescence. The fundamental understanding of the tunneling events was based on the transfer of the electronic wave function amplitude between resonant defect states in hBN to the metallic state in graphene

which leads to dramatic changes in the characteristics of electrons due to different band structures of constituent materials. In our devices

the decay of electrons via tunneling pathways competed with radiative recombination

resulting in an unprecedented degree of tuneability of carrier dynamics due to the significant sensitivity of the characteristic tunneling times on the thickness and structure of the barrier. This enabled us to achieve a high-efficiency electrical excitation of intradefect transitions

exceeding by several orders of magnitude the efficiency of optical excitation in the sub-band-gap regime. This work represents a significant advancement towards a universal and scalable platform for electrically driven devices utilizing defect centers in wide-band-gap crystals with properties modulated via activation of different tunneling mechanisms at a level of device engineering.

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references

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