Atomically thin 2D materials have gained the interest of the scientific community in the past decade due to their exotic electronic and optoelectronic properties, thus emerging as potential candidates for the next generation of nano-devices. Quantum confinement in one of the dimensions is the primary reason for these exotic properties. However, it has been seen that these properties are widely inconsistent, and they are controlled by variety of factors such as material synthesis, device fabrication, testing environment, etc. Due to low dimensional nature of these materials, defects are inevitable. These defects typically originate from either the presence of bulk impurities or interface between sample and substrate. These defects manifest as mid-gap states in semiconductor channel and act as trapping centers for charge carriers, thus often referred to as trap states. The presence of trap states is not necessarily a detrimental thing. In this dissertation, I will focus on the role these trap states play in the emergence of a few electronic and optoelectronic properties.High responsivity (R) in photodetectors based on 2D materials is mainly associated with a presence of photogating effect in which trap states dynamics plays a crucial role. Photogating also results in fractional power (γ) dependence of the photocurrent (Iph) on an effective illumination intensity (Peff). Chapter 2 presents photoconductivity studies of few layers of rhenium diselenide (ReSe2) based field-effect transistors (FETs) over a wide range of applied gate voltages (-48 V ≤ Vg ≤ 60 V) and temperature (20 K ≤ T ≤ 300 K). A very high responsivities ≈ 16500 A/W and external quantum efficiency (EQE) ~ 106 % (at 140 K, Vg = 60 V and Peff = 0.2 nW) was obtained. Investigating R and γ at various gate voltages and over a wide range of temperatures leads to a strong correlation between R and γ. Such correlations indicate the importance of trap states and photogating in governing high responsivities in these materials. It is expected that thicker samples will aid in photoconduction by effectively increasing photon absorption. In chapter 3, a layer dependent study of optoelectronic properties of indium selenide (InSe) based FETs shows that responsivity decreases for thicker InSe devices. In these devices, photogating remains constant (similar γ) and responsivity depends predominately upon field-effect mobility (μFE). Interlayer resistance regulates the mobility and (consequentially) responsivity. Thus, mobility dominates the responsivity and trap states play second fiddle. The presence of metal−insulator transition (MIT) in two-dimensional (2D) systems leads to tunable material properties by regulating parameters such as charge carrier density. Chapter 4 shows our observation on MIT in the 2D copper indium selenide (CuIn7Se11) flakes by electrostatic doping via the SiO2 back gate. A temperature and gate voltage dependence of conductivity (σ) of CuIn7Se11 FET shows clear evidence of the metallic and insulating phase. Evidence of 2D variable-range hopping (VRH) and percolation critical conductivity confirms the presence of charge density inhomogeneity originating from trap states. The low effective mass and high dielectric of copper indium selenide systems result in a lower critical charge carrier density required for percolation-driven MIT, attended by conventional SiO2 dielectric gate. Even though findings reported in this dissertation are performed on specific materials, fundamental understandings can be easily extrapolated to other 2D systems. Understanding the role of trap states will provide valuable insights for the design and development of high-performance devices using 2D materials.

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are potentially low-cost, solution-processable semiconductors which are endowed, through their nanoscale dimensions, with strong absorption, band gap tunability, high dielectric constants and enhanced stability. CQDs are contenders as a standalone PV technology as well as a potential back layer for augmenting established photovoltaic (PV) technologies, such as Si. However, owing to their small size (ca. few nanometers), CQDs are prone to surface trap states that inhibit charge transport and threaten their otherwise wonderful optoelectronic properties. Surface traps have also, indirectly, impeded scalable and industry-compatible fabrication of these solar cells, as all of the reports, to date, have relied on spin-coating with sophisticated and tedious ligand exchange schemes, some of which need to be performed in low humidity environments. In this thesis, we posit that an in-depth understanding of the process-structure-property-performance relationship in CQDs can usher in fresh insights into the nature and origin of surface traps, lead to novel ways to mitigate them, and finally help achieve scalable fabrication. To this end, we probe the CQD surfaces and their interactions with process solvents, linkers, and ambient environment employing a suite of spectroscopic techniques. These fundamental insights help us develop facile chemical and physical protocols to mitigate surface traps such as solvent engineering, remote molecular doping, and oxygen doping, directly leading to better-performing solar cells. Our efforts finally culminate in the realization of >10% efficient, air-stable CQD solar cells scalably fabricated in an ambient environment of high, uncontrolled R.H. (50-65%). As-prepared solar cells fabricated in high humidity ambient conditions are found to underperform, however, an oxygen-doping recipe is devised to mitigate the moisture-induced surface traps and recover device performances. Importantly, these solar cells are fabricated at coating speeds of >15 m min-1 with roll-to-roll compatible techniques such as blade and bar coating requiring 1/25th the CQD material consumed by the standard spin-coated devices, overcoming the two major challenges of manufacturability and scalability faced by CQD PV.

Les Pérovskites hybrides organique-inorganique (PHOIs) ont suscité d’intenses recherches au coursdes dernières années. Dans cette thèse, nous avons dans un premier temps mis au point les différentsprocessus de préparation des échantillons et réalisé une caractérisation complète des films parmicroscopie à force atomique, spectroscopie photo-électronique par rayons X, mesure du potentiel desurface par sonde de Kelvin et mesure de la mobilité des charges par temps de vol. La distribution despièges à l'interface PHOI/Au a été étudiée via des mesure J-V-L en fonction de la températurecombinées avec des simulations numériques. Les relaxations diélectriques dans les PHOIs, tels que lamigration des ions et l’orientation du dipôle du cation organique, ont été étudiés par spectroscopied’impédance en fonction de la température. Dans la dernière partie de cette thèse, nous présentons uneétude originale qui démontre un mouvement des protons du groupement ammonium des cationsorganiques à l’interface avec le PEDOT : PSS. / Hybrid-organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) have provoked intense research over the recent years.In this thesis, we contribute to this investigation by first examining the results of different solutionpreparation processes, followed by characterizing the films using atomic force microscopy, X-raydiffraction, ultra-violet photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Kelvin probesurface potential measurement, and time-of-flight mobility measurement. The state distribution of theHOIP/Au interface was then studied by low temperature J–V–L measurement combined withnumerical simulation. In the process of these characterizations, it became clear that the dielectricrelaxations in HOIPs, such as ion migration and organic cation dipole orientation, play an importantrole in the material, and the next part of the thesis presents an analysis of these mechanisms with thehelp of temperature dependent impedance spectroscopy measurement. These studies built thefoundations for the final part of the thesis, where we investigated a so far elusive subject in HOIPs, themigration of protons

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-27T13:00:02Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese_Euclides_Almeida_Fisica.pdf: 5907240 bytes, checksum: 503a5b57e757a03f24206d4d3d26032c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-27T13:00:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese_Euclides_Almeida_Fisica.pdf: 5907240 bytes, checksum: 503a5b57e757a03f24206d4d3d26032c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07-30 / CNPQ / O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar fenômenos ópticos ultrarrápidos em sistemas nanoestruturados empregando diferentes técnicas espectroscópicas não lineares, tanto no domínio do tempo quanto no domínio da frequência. Para fornecer uma base adequada que permita entender os experimentos feitos nessa tese, os princípios físicos das espectroscopias ópticas não lineares são apresentados. Inicialmente é apresentada uma descrição da função resposta não linear no domínio do tempo. A evolução temporal da polarização óptica, que gera o sinal espectroscópico, é descrita em detalhes usando uma teoria de perturbação diagramática. Técnicas ópticas não lineares são apresentadas, tais como eco de fótons, bombeamento-e-sonda e hole burning, assim como o comportamento dinâmico de um material pode ser interpretado a partir do sinal gerado. A técnica de mistura degenerada de quatro ondas com luz incoerente foi usada para investigar, pela primeira vez, o defasamento ultrarrápido de éxcitons em uma vitrocerâmica contendo nanocristais de niobato de sódio. O tempo de defasamento medido (T2 = 20 fs) indica qu empregada para investigar processos de transferência de carga em colóides com nanopartículas de TiO2 e rodamina 6G. O comportamento do sinal de depleção transiente é comparado com o observado para a rodamina livre suspensa em etanol. A análise dos resultados permitiu atribuir o comportamento de depleção à transferência de carga de estados excitados termalizados das moléculas de corante para a banda de condução do semicondutor e a transferência no sentido inverso do semicondutor para as moléculas. / The main objective of this work was the investigation of ultrafast optical phenomena in selected nanostructured systems employing different nonlinear spectroscopic techniques, either in the time or the frequency domain. To provide an appropriate background to understand the performed experiments the principles of nonlinear optical spectroscopies are presented. Initially a description of the nonlinear optical response function in the time domain is given. The time evolution of the optical polarization, that gives rise to the spectroscopic signal, is described in detail using a diagrammatic perturbation theory. Nonlinear optical techniques are discussed such as photon echoes, pump-and-probe and hole-burning, as well as how the dynamical behavior of a material can be interpreted from the generated signals. The degenerate four-wave mixing technique with incoherent light was used to investigate for the first time the ultrafast dephasing of excitons in a glass-ceramic containing sodium niobate nanocrystals. The short dephasing time measured (T2 = 20 fs) indicates that different dephasing channels contribute for the excitonic dephasing, namely: electron-electron scattering, electron-phonon coupling and fast trapping of electrons in defects on the nanocrystals interface. Low-temperature luminescence experiments were also performed to measure excitonic and trap states lifetimes. The persistent spectral holeburning technique was applied to measure localized surface plasmons dephasing times in colloidal silver nanoparticles capped with different stabilizing molecules. The dependence of T2 with three different stabilizers was demonstrated and theoretically analyzed. The results show that the dephasing times are shorter than the theoretically calculated T2 using the bulk dielectric functions of the metal. This discrepancy is attributed to changes in the electronic density of states at the nanoparticles interface caused by the presence of the stabilizers. Ab-initio calculations based on the Density Functional Theory were performed to further understand the interaction between the nanoparticles and stabilizing agents. The femtosecond transient absorption technique was employed to study the ultrafast dynamics of in-gap states in a glassceramics containing sodium niobate nanocrystals. Two main temporal components were found for the excited state absorption signal: a fast component, with decay time of ≈ 1 ps, and a slower component which is attributed to deep trap states. This slower component is responsible for the excited state absorption contribution in optical limiting experiments previously reported in the literature. The dynamics of the optical limiting in this sample was also studied, in the millisecond range, exciting the sample with a train of femtosecond pulses. The optical limiting behavior reflects the dynamics of population in the excited and trap states and this dynamics was modeled using rate equations for the electronic states’ populations. Finally, the pump-andprobe transient absorption technique was employed to investigate charge-transfer processes in colloids with rhodamine 6G and TiO2 nanoparticles. The transient bleaching signal behavior is compared with the one observed for unlinked rhodamine 6G dissolved in ethanol. The analysis of the results allowed the attribution of the bleaching behavior to charge-transfer from thermalized excited states of the dye molecules to the semiconductor conduction band and to the back charge-transfer from the semiconductor to the molecules.

Blinking dynamics of CdSe/ZnS semiconductor quantum dots (QD) are characterized by (truncated) power law distributions exhibiting a wide dynamic range in probability densities and time scales both for off- and on-times. QDs were immobilized on silicon oxide surfaces with varying grades of hydroxylation and silanol group densities, respectively. While the off-time distributions remain unaffected by changing the surface properties of the silicon oxide, a deviation from the power law dependence is observed in the case of on-times. This deviation can be described by a superimposed single exponential function and depends critically on the local silanol group density. Furthermore, QDs in close proximity to silanol groups exhibit both high average photoluminescence intensities and large on-time fractions. The effect is attributed to an interaction between the QDs and the silanol groups which creates new or deepens already existing hole trap states within the ZnS shell. This interpretation is consistent with the trapping model introduced by Verberk et al. (R. Verberk, A. M. van Oijen and M. Orrit, Phys. Rev. B, 2002, 66, 233202).

Blinking dynamics of CdSe/ZnS semiconductor quantum dots (QD) are characterized by (truncated) power law distributions exhibiting a wide dynamic range in probability densities and time scales both for off- and on-times. QDs were immobilized on silicon oxide surfaces with varying grades of hydroxylation and silanol group densities, respectively. While the off-time distributions remain unaffected by changing the surface properties of the silicon oxide, a deviation from the power law dependence is observed in the case of on-times. This deviation can be described by a superimposed single exponential function and depends critically on the local silanol group density. Furthermore, QDs in close proximity to silanol groups exhibit both high average photoluminescence intensities and large on-time fractions. The effect is attributed to an interaction between the QDs and the silanol groups which creates new or deepens already existing hole trap states within the ZnS shell. This interpretation is consistent with the trapping model introduced by Verberk et al. (R. Verberk, A. M. van Oijen and M. Orrit, Phys. Rev. B, 2002, 66, 233202).