Materials scientists have long known that introducing defects into three-dimensional materials can improve their mechanical and electronic properties. Now a new Northwestern study finds how defects ...

Strain- and defect-engineering are two powerful approaches to tailor the opto-electronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials, but the relationship between applied mechanical strain and ...

A Chinese research team has investigated impurity and defect levels in solar cells based on mono cast wafers and have found that around 30% of the devices present an “excessive” reduction in power ...

Defect engineering is a promising route for controlling the electronic properties of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials. Here, we demonstrate that the electronic structure of ...

Material optimization: Strain can be applied to overcome doping limitations in semiconductors. (Courtesy: B Huang) A new universal theory and three basic rules for how defects in semiconductors behave ...

Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence are sensitive to the presence of defects and impurities in crystals. The disruption of long-range translational symmetry in crystals through the presence of ...

“Traps” are places where an electron can be found "trapped" within a semiconductor. These traps are highly undesirable because they prevent electrons from moving around quickly so that they can be ...

Metrology is the science of measuring, characterizing, and analyzing materials. Within metrology, there are several technologies used to detect material defects on a very small scale – precision on ...

Semiconductors may be small, but the impacts they have are significant. Semiconductors used in life-dependent applications, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, life support systems, automotive safety ...

The emergence of new materials has opened the doors to nano-electronic and optoelectronic devices with new or improved capabilities. For example, III-V based alloys have transformed the LED industry ...

Defect states refer to electronic energy levels that arise from imperfections or irregularities in the crystal structure of materials, particularly in semiconductors and insulators. These ...