Grafted organic monolayer for single electron transport and for quantum dots solar cells

Functionalization of oxide-free silicon and silicon oxide surfaces is important for a number of applications. In this work, organic monolayers are grafted (GOM) on oxide-free silicon surfaces using thermal and ultraviolet-activated hydrosilylation of hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces, primarily using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for characterization. The resulting amine-terminated GOM have been used for depositing nanoparticles, selecting the end group for two very specific applications: single electron devices and nano-quantum-dot (NQD) enhanced Si photovoltaic cells.;To perform single-electron transport measurements, colloidal gold nanoparticles have been deposited on amine-functionalized silicon surfaces and tunneling measurements performed with a scanning tunneling microscope in an ultra-high vacuum chamber. Using a double-barrier tunneling junction (with the GOM as the first barrier and the vacuum between the scanning tip and the gold nanoparticle as the second one), single-electron transport was observed at 30K through a Coulomb staircase phenomenon. The critical parameters were identified to improve reproducibility. Finally, recently developed advanced modeling, based on traditional "orthodox" theory, was optimized to account for the observations (e.g. I-V dependence on band bending). This work provides a basis for the development of single-electron transistors that are compatible with current silicon based technology.;To enhance standard silicon-based solar cells, GOM is also needed to graft strongly absorbing II-VI NQDs and optimize their energy transfer to the silicon substrate. Recent photoluminescence spectroscopy has demonstrated that energy transfer occurs through both radiative and non-radiative mechanisms between NQDs and the substrate. With grafting technology, the aim was to optimize absorption, as probed by photoluminescence, in two ways. First, silicon nanopillars were fabricated to increase the surface area, with a careful investigation of the attachment of the NQDs to the walls of the nanopillars. Second, multilayers were deposited, using a diamine linker between layers. In the case of bilayers of NQDs with a size gradient, the PL measurements confirm directed energy transfer from the top to the second layer and then to the substrate. These two approaches are shown to increase the efficiency of energy transfer of current Si solar cells, and will require more work to implement in actual device fabrication.