Processing and characterization of GaP nanowires encapsulated into a PDMS large-scale membrane for flexible optoelectronics

This paper presents the methods of fabricating arrays of semiconductor III-V nanowires transferred into a flexible polydimethylsiloxane membrane. Molecular beam epitaxy was used to synthesize GaP nanowires. The synthesized nanowire arrays were encapsulated into a silicone membrane by a heavy load swinging-bucket centrifuge. For optoelectronic applications, the nanowire/polydimethylsiloxane membranes were contacted with single-walled carbon nanotubes, peeled from the substrate, then the second carbon nanotubes contact was formed. For optical experiments, the nanowire/polydimethylsiloxane membranes were bonded to supporting polydimethylsiloxane films by oxygen plasma treatment, and then easily released from the substrate by unsticking. The obtained membranes have a high practical potential in flexible optoelectronics.

Towards practical applications of quantum emitters in boron nitride

We demonstrate quantum emission capabilities from boron nitride structures which are relevant for practical applications and can be seamlessly integrated into a variety of heterostructures and devices. First, the optical properties of polycrystalline BN films grown by metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy are inspected. We observe that these specimens display an antibunching in the second-order correlation functions, if the broadband background luminescence is properly controlled. Furthermore, the feasibility to use flexible and transparent substrates to support hBN crystals that host quantum emitters is explored. We characterise hBN powders deposited onto polydimethylsiloxane films, which display quantum emission characteristics in ambient environmental conditions.