Voltage-tunable wavelength-agile 2D material-based light-emitting transistors

A method of emitting light, said method comprising:

• providing a semiconducting optoelectronic device comprising:
• a doped substrate disposed on an X-Y plane;
• a tunneling barrier disposed on the substrate;
• a direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material disposed on the tunneling barrier in a second X-Y plane;
• and
• a top-gate voltage source arranged to provide a voltage bias in a direction normal to the second X-Y plane so as to generate an electric field perpendicular to the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material,
• wherein the doped substrate acts as a hot electron emitter to inject electrons through the tunneling barrier and into the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material,
• wherein the voltage bias provided by the top-gate voltage source is operable to change an optical bandgap of the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material via a giant Stark Effect;
• providing the voltage bias, via the top-gate voltage source, so as to generate an electric field perpendicular to the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material;
• injecting, via the doped substrate, electrons through the tunneling barrier and into the conduction band of the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material;
• and
• emitting light from the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material.

A method of detecting light, said method comprising:

• providing a semiconducting optoelectronic device comprising:
• a doped substrate disposed on an X-Y plane;
• a tunneling barrier disposed on the substrate;
• a direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material disposed on the tunneling barrier in a second X-Y plane;
• and
• a top-gate voltage source arranged to provide a voltage bias in a direction normal to the second X-Y plane so as to generate an electric field perpendicular to the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material,
• wherein the doped substrate acts as a hot electron emitter to inject electrons through the tunneling barrier and into the conduction band of the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material,
• wherein the voltage bias provided by the top-gate voltage source is operable to change an optical bandgap of the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material via a giant Stark Effect;
• providing the voltage bias, via the top-gate voltage source, so as to generate an electric field perpendicular to the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material;
• injecting, via the doped substrate, electrons through the tunneling barrier and into the conduction band of the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material;
• and
• receiving light into at least one of the direct bandgap two dimensional semiconductor material and the substrate.