This study explores the structural, electronic, and optical properties of sandwich-structured thin films composed of WO3, MoWO3, and MoO3 as window layers on VO2/WO3 via a physical vapor deposition method. Morphological analysis demonstrates the evolution of distinct nanowires, offering insights into the lattice strain of the VO2 layer toward high-performance thermochromatic devices. Temperature-dependent sheet resistivity is investigated, showcasing significant improvements in conductivity for samples with MoO3 as a window layer. The electrical and optical properties of the MoO3/VO2/WO3 device showed a phase transition temperature (Tc) of 36.8 °C, a transmittance luminous (Tlum) of 54.57%, and a solar modulation ability (ΔTsol) of 12.43. This comprehensive analysis contributes to understanding the growth of nanowires on multi-layered thin films, offering valuable insights into potential applications in bright windows.@en

The paper deals with the conception and feasibility of the device structure based on the optimized PIN-(In, Ga)N homojunction solar cells. A new and efficient model combining the most realistic ones considering the impacts of band gap narrowing, collection efficiency, Shockley-Read-Hall recombination, and interface polarization is proposed to examine the solar cells' performance numerically. The functioning processes of n-In_0.42Ga_0.58N/i-(In, Ga)N/p-In_0.42Ga_0.58N solar cells at room temperature were investigated by calculating their characteristics for the AM1.5D, AM1.5G, and AM0 American Society for Testing and Materials experimental data. Our results show that the indium content, thickness, and defect density of the intrinsic layer strongly influence the characteristics of the InGaN solar cells. As the In-mole fraction increases, V_oc, FF and efficiency diminish to reach an independent regime for high In-content. A higher-quality 2μm−In_0.43Ga_0.57N for 10¹⁴cm⁻³ defect concentration can exhibit as high an efficiency as ≅11.3%, dropping to ≅4.12% for 10¹⁶cm⁻³ one.

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The increasing demand for safe and high-energy-density battery systems has led to intense research into solid electrolytes for rechargeable batteries. One of these solid electrolytes is the NASICON-type Li1+xAlxTi2−x(PO4)3 (LATP) material. In this study, different boron compounds (10% B2O3 doped, 10% H3BO3 doped, and 5% B2O3 + 5% H3BO3 doped) were doped at total 10 wt.% into the Ti4+ sites of an LATP solid electrolyte to investigate the structural properties and ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes using the solid-state synthesis method. Characterization of the synthesized samples was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The XRD patterns of the boron-doped LATP (LABTP) samples show that the samples have a rhombohedral phase with space group R3̲c together and low amounts of impurity phases. While all the LABTP samples exhibited similar ionic conductivity values of around 10−4 S cm−1, the LABTP2 sample doped with 10 wt.% H3BO3 demonstrated the highest ionic conductivity. These findings suggest that varying B3+ ion doping strategies in LATP can significantly advance the development of solid electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries.@en

This study introduces the development of novel, flexible gas sensors operating at room temperature (RT), utilizing a graphene oxide (GO) via the modified Hummers' method and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) composite to enhance gas detection in industrial and environmental settings. The composite materials, denoted as GO@BNC, were synthesized with varying GO concentrations ranging from 2 % to 30 %, aiming to investigate their responsiveness to gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), oxygen (O₂), acetone (Ac), and ethanol (Eth). The prepared nanomaterials were characterized using FT-IR, Raman, TGA, SEM, and AFM techniques. The bandgap of Go ranges from 4.19, 3.47, 3.16, 2.79, and 2.48 eV for 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 % GO concentrations, respectively. Notably, the sensor containing wt % of 20 % GO concentration exhibited remarkable sensitivity to Ac, achieving a 270 % increase in resistance at a concentration of 250 μL/L. Conversely, the sensor with a wt % of 30 % GO composition showed superior sensitivity to Eth, with a 420 % signal enhancement under similar conditions. Further modification of GO@BNC through mild reduction resulted in the formation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO@BNC) composites intended to assess the functional groups' impact on sensing performance. Our findings underscore the potential of GO@BNC composites as sustainable and efficient materials for fabricating eco-friendly flexible gas sensors and devices for detecting organic compounds.

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UV sensors hold significant promise for various applications in both military and civilian domains. However, achieving exceptional detectivity, responsivity, and rapid rise/decay times remains a notable challenge. In this study, we address this challenge by investigating the photodetection properties of CdS thin films and the influence of surface-deposited gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on their performance. CdS thin films were produced using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique on glass substrates, with CdS layers at a 100, 150, and 200 nm thickness. Extensive characterization was performed to evaluate the thin films’ structural, morphological, and optical properties. Photodetector devices based on CdS and AuNPs/CdS films were fabricated, and their performance parameters were evaluated under 365 nm light illumination. Our findings demonstrated that reducing CdS layer thickness enhanced performance concerning detectivity, responsivity, external quantum efficiency (EQE), and photocurrent gain. Furthermore, AuNP deposition on the surface of CdS films exhibited a substantial influence, especially on devices with thinner CdS layers. Among the configurations, AuNPs/CdS(100 nm) demonstrated the highest values in all evaluated parameters, including detectivity (1.1×1012 Jones), responsivity (13.86 A/W), EQE (47.2%), and photocurrent gain (9.2).@en

Ultrathin MoO₃ semiconductor nanostructures have garnered significant interest as a promising nanomaterial for transparent nano- and optoelectronics, owing to their exceptional reactivity. Due to the shortage of knowledge about the electronic and optoelectronic properties of MoO₃/n-Si via an ALD system of few nanometers, we utilized the preparation of an ultrathin MoO₃ film at temperatures of 100, 150, 200, and 250 °C. The effect of the depositing temperatures on using bis(tbutylimido)bis(dimethylamino)molybdenum (VI) as a molybdenum source for highly stable UV photodetectors were reported. The ON–OFF and the photodetector dynamic behaviors of these samples under different applied voltages of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 V were collected. This study shows that the ultrasmooth and homogenous films of less than a 0.30 nm roughness deposited at 200 °C were used efficiently for high-performance UV photodetector behaviors with a high sheet carrier concentration of 7.6 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻² and external quantum efficiency of 1.72 × 10¹¹. The electronic parameters were analyzed based on thermionic emission theory, where Cheung and Nord’s methods were utilized to determine the photodetector electronic parameters, such as the ideality factor (n), barrier height (Φ₀), and series resistance (R_s). The n-factor values were higher in the low voltage region of the I–V diagram, potentially due to series resistance causing a voltage drop across the interfacial thin film and charge accumulation at the interface states between the MoO₃ and Si surfaces.

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In this study, we delved into the influence of Ir nanofilm coating thickness on the optical and optoelectronic behavior of ultrathin MoO3 wafer-scale devices. Notably, the 4 nm Ir coating showed a negative Hall voltage and high carrier concentration of 1.524 × 1019 cm−3 with 0.19 nm roughness. Using the Kubelka–Munk model, we found that the bandgap decreased with increasing Ir thickness, consistent with Urbach tail energy suggesting a lower level of disorder. Regarding transient photocurrent behavior, all samples exhibited high stability under both dark and UV conditions. We also observed a positive photoconductivity at bias voltages of >0.5 V, while at 0 V bias voltage, the samples displayed a negative photoconductivity behavior. This unique aspect allowed us to explore self-powered negative photodetectors, showcasing fast response and recovery times of 0.36/0.42 s at 0 V. The intriguing negative photoresponse that we observed is linked to hole self-trapping/charge exciton and Joule heating effects.@en

Nanostructures of ultrathin 2D MoO₃ semiconductors have gained significant attention in the field of transparent optoelectronics and nanophotonics due to their exceptional responsiveness. In this study, we investigate self-powered α-MoO₃/Ir/α-MoO₃ photodetectors, focusing on the influence of induced hot electrons in ultrathin α-MoO₃ when combined with an ultrathin Ir plasmonic layer. Our results reveal the presence of both positive and negative photoconductivity at a 0 V bias voltage. Notably, by integrating a 2 nm Ir layer between post-annealed α-MoO₃ films, we achieve remarkable performance metrics, including a high I_ON/I_OFF ratio of 3.8 × 10⁶, external quantum efficiency of 132, and detectivity of 3.4 × 10¹¹ Jones at 0 V bias. Furthermore, the response time is impressively short, with only 0.2 ms, supported by an exceptionally low MoO₃ surface roughness of 0.1 nm. The observed negative photoresponse is attributed to O₂ desorption from the MoO₃ surface, resulting in increased carrier density and reduced mobility in the Ir layer due to Coulomb trapping and oxygen vacancy deep levels. Consequently, this leads to a decreased carrier mobility and diminished current in the heterostructure. Our findings underscore the enormous potential of ultrathin MoO₃ semiconductors for high-performance negative conductivity optoelectronics and photonic applications.

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The atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique has attracted significant attention because it enables the control of film synthesis at the subnanometre scale. Herein, molybdenum oxide (MoO₃) ultrathin films using the ALD system through Bis(t-butylimido)bis(dimethylamino)molybdenum (VI) as a molybdenum (Mo) source are prepared. To understand the effect of deposition temperature, thin films are prepared at three different temperatures 100, 150, and 250 °C. The morphological and elemental properties are assessed using a field emission scanning electron microscope, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. It is observed that the film thicknesses increase with the increase in the deposition temperature. It is found that the film growth at 150 °C is the most potential one for UV optoelectronic applications with high stability even under low applied bias voltages. Moreover, these films show interesting nonlinear optical behaviors as investigated with the z-scan technique applying open and closed aperture methods. The calculated nonlinear optical parameters including nonlinear absorption coefficient (β), nonlinear refractive index (n ₂), nonlinear refractive coefficient (γ), and third-order nonlinear susceptibility (χ ⁽³⁾) are 10⁻¹¹ m W⁻¹, 10⁻¹⁶ cm² W⁻¹, 10⁻¹¹ cm² W⁻¹, and 10⁻¹¹ esu, respectively.

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The efficiency of ultraviolet (UV) illumination in gas adsorption/desorption is remarkable due to its capacity to activate and energize CO₂ molecules, rendering them more reactive and prone to surface interactions. A heterojunction device for room-temperature optoelectronic gas sensing has been fabricated. This was achieved through the deposition of an orthorhombic vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) thin film onto a wafer scale 2D p-type tungsten disulfide (WS₂)/silicon (Si). The incorporation of the V₂O₅ layer brings about alterations in WS₂'s electronic properties, resulting in increased energy states for photo-generated carriers and a promising approach to enhance the intensity of exciton and trion peaks. Specifically, the WS₂ film exhibits a carrier concentration of 3.67 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³, while incorporating the V₂O₅ layer significantly raises this concentration to 1.20 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³. The experiments reveal a rapid response time of 0.4 s and a recovery time of 0.2 s, respectively, demonstrating the swift desorption capability of the device in a CO₂ environment. Remarkably, this device exhibits high optoelectronic performances, boasting a detectivity of 1.22 × 10¹³ Jones and a responsivity of 177.21 A/W. These findings have the potential to advance the development of improved gas-sensing devices, offering heightened sensitivity and selectivity in diverse optoelectronic applications.

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The phenomenon of hot carriers, which are generated through the nonradiative decay of surface plasmons in ultrathin metallic films, offers an intriguing opportunity for subbandgap photodetection even at room temperature. These hot carriers possess sufficient energy to inject into the conduction band of a semiconductor material. The groundbreaking use of iridium (Ir) ultrathin film as an ultraviolet (UV) plasmonic material on silicon (Si) for high-performance photodetectors (PHDs) has been successfully demonstrated. Elevating the thickness of the sputtered Ir film to 4 nm yields a notable surge in photocurrent, registering an impressive 600 μA under 365 nm UV illumination with electron mobility of 1.37E3 cm² V⁻¹ s. This PHD exhibits excellent OFF-ON photoresponses at various applied voltages ranging from 0 to 5 V, maintaining a stable photocurrent. Under UV illumination, it displays exceptional performance, achieving a high detectivity of 1.25E14 Jones and a responsivity of 1.28 A W⁻¹. These outstanding results underscore the significant advantages of increasing the thickness of the Ir film in PHDs, leading to improvements in conductivity, detectivity, external quantum efficiency, responsivity, as well as superior sensitivity for light detection.

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Self-powered UV sensing has enormous potential in military and civilian applications. However, achieving high responsivity and fast response/recovery time presents significant challenges. Self-powered photodetectors (PDs) have several advantages over traditional PDs, including higher sensitivity, lower power consumption, and simpler design. This study introduces a breakthrough self-powered PD that uses a Schottky junction of 2D α-MoO₃/iridium (Ir)/Si ultrathin film to detect 365 nm light at 0 V bias through using atomic layer deposition (ALD) and sputtering systems. The PD response is enhanced by plasmonic Ir-induced hot carriers, enabling detection in a mere 0.1 ms. Incorporating a 4 nm Ir layer boosts the responsivity from 0 to 34 A W⁻¹, and the external quantum efficiency is elevated from 0 to 7E11 under 365 nm light illumination. It also has a high I_ON/I_OFF ratio of 11.22E4 at 0 V. These results make the MoO₃/4 nm Ir/Si structure an interesting option for self-powered PDs with high efficiency, and the use of a simple ALD system for large-scale fabrication of 2D α-MoO₃ on hot carrier Ir plasmonic layer. The findings of this research hold tremendous promise in the field of UV sensing and can lead to exciting developments in military and civilian technology.

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Surface plasmon technology is regarded as having significant potential for the enhancement of the performance of 2D oxide semiconductors, especially in terms of improving the light absorption of 2D MoO3 photodetectors. An ultrathin MoO3/Ir/SiO2/Si heterojunction Schottky self-powered photodetector is introduced here to showcase positive photoconductivity. In wafer-scale production, the initial un-annealed Mo/2 nm Ir/SiO2/Si sample displays a sheet carrier concentration of 5.76 × 1011/cm², which subsequently increases to 6.74 × 1012/cm² after annealing treatment, showing a negative photoconductivity behavior at a 0 V bias voltage. This suggests that annealing enhances the diffusion of Ir into the MoO3 layer, resulting in an increased phonon scattering probability and, consequently, an extension of the negative photoconductivity behavior. This underscores the significance of negative photoconductive devices in the realm of optoelectronic applications.@en

This study focused on investigating the optoelectronic properties of molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO₃) thin films using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique through different cycle numbers and theoretical investigation. Initial band gap calculations using standard DFT with GGA-PBE resulted in a value of 1.19 eV, which deviated significantly from experimental measurements. The GGA + U method with Hubbard U corrections was applied for the first time to improve the accuracy. This refinement led to a more precise band gap value of 3.09 eV, closely matching previously reported experimental data. The electronic parameters of the α-MoO₃ photodetector, such as ideality factor (n), barrier height (Φ₀), and series resistance (R_s), were analyzed using the thermionic emission theory and confirmed by Cheung and Nord's methods. The results demonstrated that the sample deposited with 100 pulses exhibited higher photodetector performance under UV illumination, despite having a lower R_s.

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The application of the photonic superlattice in advanced photonics has become a demanding field, especially for two-dimensional and strongly correlated oxides. Because it experiences an abrupt metal-insulator transition near ambient temperature, where the electrical resistivity varies by orders of magnitude, vanadium oxide (VO2) shows potential as a building block for infrared switching and sensing devices. We reported a first principle study of superlattice structures of VO2 as a strongly correlated phase transition material and tungsten diselenide (WSe2) as a two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide layer. Based on first-principles calculations, we exploit the effect of semiconductor monoclinic and metallic tetragonal state of VO2 with WSe2 in a photonic superlattices structure through the near and mid-infrared (NIR-MIR) thermochromic phase transition regions. By increasing the thickness of the VO2 layer, the photonic bandgap (PhB) gets red-shifted. We observed linear dependence of the PhB width on the VO2 thickness. For the monoclinic case of VO2, the number of the forbidden bands increase with the number of layers of WSe2. New forbidden gaps are preferred to appear at a slight angle of incidence, and the wider one can predominate at larger angles. We presented an efficient way to control the flow of the NIR-MIR in both summer and winter environments for phase transition and photonic thermochromic applications. This study's findings may help understand vanadium oxide's role in tunable photonic superlattice for infrared switchable devices and optical filters.

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This study was on the optoelectronic properties of multilayered two-dimensional MoS₂ and WS₂ materials on a silicon substrate using sputtering physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. For the first time, we report ultraviolet (UV) photoresponses under air, CO₂, and O₂ environments at different flow rates. The electrical Hall effect measurement showed the existence of MoS₂ (n-type)/Si (p-type) and WS₂ (P-type)/Si (p-type) heterojunctions with a higher sheet carrier concentration of 5.50 × 10⁵ cm⁻² for WS₂ thin film. The IV electrical results revealed that WS₂ is more reactive than MoS₂ film under different gas stimuli. WS₂ film showed high stability under different bias voltages, even at zero bias voltage, due to the noticeably good carrier mobility of 29.8 × 10² cm²/V. WS₂ film indicated a fast rise/decay time of 0.23/0.21 s under air while a faster response of 0.190/0.10 s under a CO₂ environment was observed. Additionally, the external quantum efficiency of WS₂ revealed a remarkable enhancement in the CO₂ environment of 1.62 × 10⁸ compared to MoS₂ film with 6.74 × 10⁶. According to our findings, the presence of CO₂ on the surface of WS₂ improves such optoelectronic properties as photocurrent gain, photoresponsivity, external quantum efficiency, and detectivity. These results indicate potential applications of WS₂ as a photodetector under gas stimuli for future optoelectronic applications.

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Vanadium oxide (VO₂) is considered a Peierls–Mott insulator with a metal–insulator transition (MIT) at T_c = 68^◦ C. The tuning of MIT parameters is a crucial point to use VO₂ within thermoelectric, electrochromic, or thermochromic applications. In this study, the effect of oxygen deficiencies, strain engineering, and metal tungsten doping are combined to tune the MIT with a low phase transition of 20^◦C in the air without capsulation. Narrow hysteresis phase transition devices based on multilayer VO₂, WO₃, Mo_0.2W_0.8O_3, and/or MoO₃ oxide thin films deposited through a high vacuum sputtering are investigated. The deposited films are structurally, chemically, electrically, and optically characterized. Different conductivity behaviour was observed, with the highest value towards VO_1.75/WO_2.94 and the lowest VO_1.75 on FTO glass. VO_1.75/WO_2.94 showed a narrow hysteresis curve with a single-phase transition. Thanks to the role of oxygen vacancies, the MIT temperature decreased to 35^◦C, while the lowest value (T_c = 20^◦C) was reached with Mo_0.2W_0.8O₃/VO₂/MoO₃ structure. In this former sample, Mo_0.2W_0.8O₃ was used for the first time as an anti-reflective and anti-oxidative layer. The results showed that the MoO₃ bottom layer is more suitable than WO₃ to enhance the electrical properties of VO₂ thin films. This work is applied to fast phase transition devices.

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Gold (Au) nanoparticles trapped within Cu₂SnS₃ (CTS) thin films were effectively deposited on a low-cost glass substrate using a simple pulsed laser deposition of 15 mJ for 5 ns at a 10 Hz repetition rate. The film's structural, morphological, topography, optical, and optoelectronic properties were investigated. Highly crystalline ternary chalcogenide CTS with tetragonal symmetry and 17 nm grain size is prepared. The 110 Ω resistivity of the thin film increases up to 125 Ω indicating a negative photoresponse under visible light excitation. The decrease in the photocurrent is also observed with Cu₂SnS₃/Au/Cu₂SnS₃ sandwich ternary chalcogenide structure at resistivities values from 31 to 35 Ω and a Joule effect influence the presence of plasmonic Au nanoparticle interlayers involved a lower phonon disorder given a higher photoresponse effect as predicted from Urbach energy.

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The distinctive properties of strongly correlated oxides provide a variety of possibilities for modulating the properties of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides semiconductors; which represent a new class of superior optical and optoelectronic interfacing semiconductors. We report a novel approach to scaling-up molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) by combining the techniques of chemical and physical vapor deposition (CVD and PVD) and interfacing with a thin layer of monoclinic VO₂. MoWO₃/VO₂/MoS₂ photodetectors were manufactured at different sputtering times by depositing molybdenum oxide layers using a PVD technique on p-type silicon substrates followed by a sulphurization process in the CVD chamber. The high quality and the excellent structural and absorption properties of MoWO₃/VO₂/MoS₂/Si with MoS₂ deposited for 60 s enables its use as an efficient UV photodetector. The electronically coupled monoclinic VO₂ layer on MoS₂/Si causes a redshift and intensive MoS₂ Raman peaks. Interestingly, the incorporation of VO₂ dramatically changes the ratio between A-exciton (ground state exciton) and trion photoluminescence intensities of VO₂/(30 s)MoS₂/Si from < 1 to > 1. By increasing the deposition time of MoS₂ from 60 to 180 s, the relative intensity of the B-exciton/A-exciton increases, whereas the lowest ratio at deposition time of 60 s refers to the high quality and low defect densities of the VO₂/(60 s)MoS₂/Si structure. Both the VO₂/(60 s)MoS₂/Si trion and A-exciton peaks have higher intensities compared with (60 s) MoS₂/Si structure. The MoWO₃/VO₂/(60 s)MoS₂/Si photodetector displays the highest photocurrent gain of 1.6, 4.32 × 10⁸ Jones detectivity, and ~ 1.0 × 10¹⁰ quantum efficiency at 365 nm. Moreover, the surface roughness and grains mapping are studied and a low semiconducting-metallic phase transition is observed at ~ 40 °C.

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The negative charge trapped in the oxygen species present in metal oxides like Tin Oxide (SnO₂) caused an upward band bending and makes these materials as promising sensing materials for CO₂ detection. However, sensors based on pure SnO₂ may only detect CO₂ at high temperature making them un-sensitive at room temperature (RT) (20 °C). In this study, SnO₂ and Cobalt doped SnO₂ (Co:SnO₂) thin films of varying thickness were successfully synthesized by sol-gel spin coating technique, followed by annealing. The highly active surface due to high number of divided layers has been determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) for neat and doped SnO₂ deposition. Moreover, the effect of increasing the annealing from 400 to 500 °C has been evaluated. The calculated band gap of the multilayer sample annealed at 500 °C blue shifted from 3.55 to 3.81 eV with the Co doping. Therefore, the Co doped SnO₂ can detect CO₂ as low as 30 vol% in atmosphere at RT, meanwhile the un-doped SnO₂ coating shows a weak response. Moreover, at high CO₂ concentration the recovery time decreases due to the high desorption kinetic. The obtained results illustrate the control of the film's properties gives the opportunity to manage the sensing and optoelectronic performance.

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