Strain-engineered inverse charge-funnelling in layered semiconductors

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how strain-induced electric fields in atomically thin HfS2 semiconductors can reverse charge funneling, significantly enhancing phototransistor responsivity and opening new avenues for efficient photovoltaic device design.

Contribution

It provides the first direct electrical observation of inverse charge-funnelling caused by deterministic strain in layered semiconductors.

Findings

350% increase in phototransistor responsivity

Demonstration of strain-engineered inverse charge-funnel effect

Potential for designing highly efficient photovoltaic cells

Abstract

The control of charges in a circuit due to an external electric field is ubiquitous to the exchange, storage and manipulation of information in a wide range of applications, from electronic circuits to synapses in neural cells. Conversely, the ability to grow clean interfaces between materials has been a stepping stone for engineering built-in electric fields largely exploited in modern photovoltaics and opto-electronics. The emergence of atomically thin semiconductors is now enabling new ways to attain electric fields and unveil novel charge transport mechanisms. Here, we report the first direct electrical observation of the inverse charge-funnel effect enabled by deterministic and spatially resolved strain-induced electric fields in a thin sheet of HfS2. We demonstrate that charges driven by these spatially varying electric fields in the channel of a phototransistor lead to a 350% enhancement in the responsivity. These findings could enable the informed design of highly efficient photovoltaic cells.