Dirk Brüggemann’s Post

The illustration depicted in Figure 3 outlines the mechanics of photoexcitation in plasmonic nanomaterials compared to traditional semiconductors, emphasizing the differences in their behavior during light-driven chemical reactions. Part (A) illustrates the process of plasmon-mediated chemical reactions, where localized electromagnetic fields enhance excitation efficiency, generating excited charge carriers (electrons, e, and holes, h) near the surface of the plasmonic material. Part (B) contrasts this with photocatalysis in semiconductors, showcasing how absorbed photons create electron-hole pairs across defined energy bands (conduction and valence bands) that are spatially distributed and determined by the material's band gap properties. The accompanying table (C) summarizes key differences: plasmonic nanomaterials feature non-uniform electromagnetic distributions, shorter lifetimes for excited carriers, and a broader energy distribution of excited carriers due to their surface-based nature, while semiconductors display more uniform fields, longer carrier lifetimes, and a narrower distribution influenced by their intrinsic band structures. This comparison highlights the potential advantages of using plasmonic nanomaterials for enhanced light absorption and more efficient photochemical processes. 

I am pleased to share our most recently published paper on the optoelectronic properties of penta-NiN2. We investigate them including quasiparticle effects within many-body perturbation theory, employing the #YAMBO code. Check this out! https://lnkd.in/dcsNJcnS

💡Happy to share our new publication💡 Until now, electrons have been considered the best carriers of information in the semiconductor industry. Similarly, photons and sound waves are also widely used carriers. Another carrier of information called Magnon was proposed roughly two decades ago. A Magnon is a wave originating from the collective excitation of electron spins. It doesn't need a conductive/semiconductive channel for its propagation. To use it for communication we still need to set fundamentals. Its excitation, propagation, and detection is a complicated process that needs an understanding of fundamental spintronics concepts and introducing new physics concepts. In our study, we experimentally explore these concepts in two-dimensional materials. Our findings demonstrate how we can control magnon transport in different magnetic regimes of a material. Check our publication here: https://lnkd.in/deQe79DF Feel free to reach out for further discussion or if you have any questions or feedback on our study.

Optimizing spin-charge conversion (SCC) processes operating at room temperature, is crucial to develop novel spintronic devices to shape the future of more-efficient and lower-power consuming nanoelectronics. Thanks to the joint efforts between our group at CNR-IMM (Istituto per la microelettronica e microsistemi) and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden leaded by Prof. Claudia Felser, we present a newcomer in the family of super-efficient spin-charge converters: the half-metallic half-Heusler compound MnPtSb. By using spin pumping ferromagnetic resonance (SP-FMR), we observe a remarkable MnPtSb' thickness-dependent SCC in Co/MnPtSb heterostructures produced my magnetron sputtering. This clearly demonstrates the interfacial origin of the conversion that, when interpreted within the inverse Edelstein effect (IEE), leads to the record conversion efficiency of λ_IEE ≈ 3 nm, as measureed at room temperature in the ultrathin MnPtSb regime of 1 nm. The still never explored ultrathin regime of the MnPtSb films, and the discovery of their outstanding functionality are two ingredients that demonstrate the potentiality of such materials for future applications in spintronics. Please find all details at our recently published paper at Advanced Functional Materials: https://lnkd.in/dXSgaZfm

New Publication This study explores advanced photoactive CO-releasing materials using heterocyclic structures. It reveals strong Mn(CO)₃-heterocycle interactions in ground states and weakened CO binding in excited states, facilitating CO release. Quantum chemical and AIM analyses confirm changes in electron density and bond elongation, highlighting the potential of these molecules for efficient CO delivery. The work was in collaboration with Anik Sen GITAM Deemed University #researchinGITAM #GITAM #CTC #ComputationlChemistry

Congratulations to Thayer Professor of Engineering Jifeng Liu and his colleagues on the patent of "Nanophotonic Hot-Electron Devices For Infrared Light Detection." This newly issued patent covers infrared light detectors that operate by generating hot electrons in a metallic absorber layer. On photon absorption, the electrons are transported through an energy barrier of an insulating layer to a metal or semiconductor conductive layer. The energy barrier bars response to wavelengths longer than a maximum wavelength. Embodiments can have a pattern of metallic shapes above the absorber layer that increase photon absorption while reflecting photons of short wavelengths. Learn more about this patent at: https://lnkd.in/eiWN6SFZ

🌟 Highly Cited Paper Spotlight! 🌟 Theoretical Study on Electronic, Magnetic and Optical Properties of Non-Metal Atoms Adsorbed onto Germanium Carbide  By Lin Zhang and Zhen Cui This paper presents a theoretical study conducted via first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of germanium carbide (GeC) systems doped with nine types of non-metal atoms. The findings reveal that the adsorption of non-metal atoms alters the properties of GeC, leading to variations such as the transformation into magnetic metals, half-metals, or magnetic semiconductors, which suggests potential applications in spintronics, optoelectronics, and photovoltaic technologies. Access the full paper at: mdpi.com/1635528

I am pleased to announce that my paper entitled “Hysteresis impact of ferroelectric oxide on double-source vertical tunnel FET: DC and RF performance” has been published in the European Physical Journal Plus journal and is now accessible online. The work presents a detailed TCAD investigation of the double-source vertical junction tunneling field-effect transistor by ferroelectric gate oxide material. We show that the ferroelectric oxide (Si: HfO2) improves the efficiency of the FE-DSV-TFET structure. The proposed device reduces the subthreshold swing from 13.2 to 6.2 mV/dec. Also, OFF-current decreases ~ 2.5 orders, and ON-current increases from 100 to 200 µA/µm in the FE-DSV-TFET. Besides, we investigate the hysteresis impact of coercive field (EC) and remnant polarization (Pr) compared to DSV-TFET. https://lnkd.in/gR3reTn7

The integration of graphene with semiconductor materials has been studied for developing advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we propose ultrahigh photoresponsivity of β-Ga2O3 photodiodes with a graphene monolayer inserted in a W Schottky contact. After inserting the graphene monolayer, we found a reduction in the leakage current and ideality factor. The Schottky barrier height was also shown to be about 0.53 eV, which is close to an ideal value. This was attributed to a decrease in the interfacial state density and the strong suppression of metal Fermi-level pinning. Based on a W/graphene/β-Ga2O3 structure, the responsivity and external quantum efficiency reached 14.49 A/W and 7044%, respectively. These values were over 100 times greater than those of the W contact alone. The rise and delay times of the W/graphene/β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier photodiodes significantly decreased to 139 and 200 ms, respectively, compared to those obtained without a graphene interlayer (2000 and 3000 ms). In addition, the W/graphene/β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier photodiode was highly stable, even at 150 °C. Please check our paper published in ACS Nano for more detail: https://lnkd.in/gq5SEDGA

Just finalized the development of Silicon Photonics solver after one and half years struggling. Electrons, holes and charging field interplay and vary in 20 orders, but still with accuracy for every single order. High nonlinearity involves the optimization algorithm Trust Region Dogleg. Great challenge, worthwhile. Benchmarking my ninth year of CAE development.