| Date | 15th, Apr 2022 |
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A discovery that could speed research into next-generation electronics and LED devices, a University of Michigan research team has developed the first reliable, scalable method for growing single layers of hexagonal boron nitride on graphene.
The process, which can produce large sheets of high-quality hBN with the widely used molecular-beam epitaxy process, is detailed in a study in Advanced Materials.
Graphene-hBN structures can power LEDs that generate deep-UV light, which is impossible in today’s LEDs, said Zetian Mi, U-M professor of electrical engineering and computer science and a corresponding author. Deep-UV LEDs could drive smaller size and greater efficiency in various devices, including lasers and air purifiers.
“The technology used to generate deep-UV light today is mercury-xenon lamps, which are hot, bulky, inefficient, and contain toxic materials,” Mi said. “If we can generate that light with LEDs, we could see an efficiency revolution in UV devices similar to when LED light bulbs replaced incandescents.”
Ping Wang, a postdoctoral researcher in electrical engineering and computer science, checks the monolayer hexagonal boron nitride/graphene samples grown by an ultrahigh temperature MBE system. Image credit: Brenda Ahearn, University of Michigan
This result would not have been possible without collaboration from various disciplines. The mathematical theory underpinning some of the work involved researchers in electrical engineering, computer science, and materials science and engineering from U-M and Yale University.
Mi’s lab developed the process, synthesized the material, and characterized its interactions with light. Then, materials scientists and engineers at U-M and collaborators at Ohio State University studied its structural and electrical properties in detail.
Source: University of Michigan
