Abstract:
In this talk, I will discuss our work in developing novel electronic and photonic devices based on the anisotropic properties of low-symmetry two-dimensional (2D) materials, including black phosphorus (BP) and its isoelectronic materials such as the monochalcogenides of Group IV elements. High mobility, narrow gap BP thin film (0.3 eV in bulk) fill the energy space between zero-gap graphene and large-gap TMDCs, making it a promising material for mid-infrared and long wavelength infrared optoelectronics. Most importantly, its anisotropic nature within the plane of the layers allow for the realization of conceptually new electronic and photonic devices. Here, I will first present our work in understanding the fundamental electronic and optical properties of low-symmetry 2D materials such as BP using a newly developed scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (SUEM) technique and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The demonstration of a polarization sensitive BP mid-IR detector will then be presented. In the second half of my talk, I will discuss our work on developing low dimensional materials based stochastic electronic devices that can sample Markovian dynamics for realizing the low power hardware implementation of key beyond-von-Neumann computing concepts such as the Boltzmann machine. I will conclude with remarks on promising future research directions of low-symmetry electronics based on anisotropic 2D materials and how their novel properties is expected to benefit the next-generation electronics and photonics technologies.