Published in

American Chemical Society, Nano Letters, 5(15), p. 3249-3253, 2015

DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b00454

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Charge Percolation Pathways Guided by Defects in Quantum Dot Solids

This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
  • Must obtain written permission from Editor
  • Must not violate ACS ethical Guidelines
Orange circle
Postprint: archiving restricted
  • Must obtain written permission from Editor
  • Must not violate ACS ethical Guidelines
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Charge hopping and percolation in quantum dot (QD) solids has been widely studied, but the microscopic nature of the percolation process is not understood or determined. Here we present the first imaging of the charge percolation pathways in two-dimensional PbS QD arrays using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). We show that under dark conditions electrons percolate via in-gap states (IGS) instead of the conduction band, while holes percolate via valence band states. This novel transport behavior is explained by the electronic structure and energy level alignment of the individual QDs, which was measured by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). Chemical treatments with hydrazine can remove the IGS, resulting in an intrinsic defect-free semiconductor, as revealed by STS and surface potential spectroscopy. The control over IGS can guide the design of novel electronic devices with impurity conduction, and photodiodes with controlled doping.