Hexagonal network of photocurrent enhancement in few-layer graphene/InGaN quantum dot junctions

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that strain in few-layer graphene/InGaN quantum dot junctions creates a hexagonal photocurrent enhancement network, revealing flexoelectric effects and opening avenues for strain-engineered optoelectronic devices.

Contribution

It uncovers a hexagonal photocurrent enhancement network in strained 2D material heterostructures, linked to flexoelectric effects, and suggests strain engineering as a tool for advanced optoelectronic applications.

Findings

Photocurrent enhancement forms a hexagonal network.

Flexoelectric effect induces lateral electric fields.

Strain engineering can create superlattice structures.

Abstract

Strain in two-dimensional (2D) materials has attracted particular attention owing to the remarkable modification of electronic and optical properties. However, emergent electromechanical phenomena and hidden mechanisms, such as strain-superlattice-induced topological states or flexoelectricity under strain gradient, remain under debate. Here, using scanning photocurrent microscopy, we observe significant photocurrent enhancement in hybrid vertical junction devices made of strained few-layer graphene and InGaN quantum dots. Optoelectronic response and photoluminescence measurements demonstrate a possible mechanism closely tied to the flexoelectric effect in few-layer graphene, where the strain can induce a lateral built-in electric field and assist the separation of electron-hole pairs. Photocurrent mapping reveals an unprecedentedly ordered hexagonal network, suggesting the potential to create a superlattice by strain engineering. Our work provides insights into optoelectronic phenomena in the presence of strain and paves the way for practical applications associated with strained 2D materials.