Project description
High-bandwidth terahertz could boost imaging of 2D materials
The recent breakthrough discovery of high-mobility charge transport in two-dimensional semiconducting metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) holds great potential for developing tailored optoelectronic devices. Time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy is a non-contact method that can reveal further information about the MOF chemical composition, electronic structure, conductivity, doping and charge-carrier mobility. Despite the potential of this method, state-of-the-art terahertz probes have a narrow frequency bandwidth. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PhoMOFs project will introduce a novel terahertz trilayer spintronic emitter that has a bandwidth around 15 times broader than that of traditional terahertz sources for investigating charge transport in semiconducting MOFs.
Objective
The recent discovery of high-mobility band-like charge transport in two-dimensional semiconducting Metal Organic Frameworks (2D-MOFs), represents a breakthrough that paves the way for developing novel highly tailorable optoelectronic devices. However, for harvesting the benefits of these materials, it is still required a deeper understanding on the interplay between MOF structure and chemical composition with electronic structure, conductivity, doping and charge carrier mobility. Among the current methods used to characterize charge transport in MOFs, Time-Resolved Terahertz (THz) Spectroscopy (TRTS) stands out, owing to the fact that it is a non-contact technique, with sub-ps resolution, and capable of disentangling the conductivity, doping and mobility of a given sample in the AC limit. Despite powerful, current TRTS setups do have a limitation connected with a small frequency bandwidth of state-of-the-art THz probes (typically limited to 0.2-2 THz). In this project, I will introduce a novel THz Spintronic Trilayer Emitter (STE), holding a bandwidth that is ~15 times broader than that of traditional THz sources, for investigating charge transport in the recently discovered semiconducting MOFs. The STE ultrabroadband frequency window, linked to an ultrashort pulse time duration, will allow for the first time characterizing phonons and their interplay with free carriers (which limit sample´s mobility) as a function of sample chemistry and structure. This powerful approach will ultimately lead to unequivocally establishing connections between structure and charge transport properties in these promising and technologically relevant materials.
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Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
28049 Madrid
Spain