Nanometer-Scale Lateral p–n Junctions in Graphene/α-RuCl3 Heterostructures
View/ Open
Date
2022Author
Rizzo, Daniel J.
Shabani, Sara
Jessen, Bjarke S.
Zhang, Jin
McLeod, Alexander S.
Rubio Verdú, Carmen
Ruta, Francesco L.
Cothrine, Matthew
Yan, Jiaqiang
Mandrus, David G.
Nagler, Stephen E.
Rubio Secades, Angel
Hone, James
Dean, Cory R.
Pasupathy, Abhay N.
Basov, Dmitri N.
Metadata
Show full item record
Nano Letters 22 (5) : 1946-1953 (2022)
Abstract
[EN] The ability to create nanometer-scale lateral p-n junctions is essential for the next generation of two-dimensional (2D) devices. Using the charge-transfer heterostructure graphene/alpha-RuCl3, we realize nanoscale lateral p-n junctions in the vicinity of graphene nanobubbles. Our multipronged experimental approach incorporates scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) and scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to simultaneously probe the electronic and optical responses of nanobubble p-n junctions. Our STM/STS results reveal that p-n junctions with a band offset of 0.6 eV can be achieved with widths of 3 nm, giving rise to electric fields of order 108 V/m. Concurrent s-SNOM measurements validate a point-scatterer formalism for modeling the interaction of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) with nanobubbles. Ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations corroborate our experimental data and reveal the dependence of charge transfer on layer separation. Our study provides experimental and conceptual foundations for generating p-n nanojunctions in 2D materials.