Optimal light harvesting in 2D semiconductor heterostructures

Abstract Optoelectronics with two dimensional (2D) heterostructures combining transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and other semiconductors in hybrid stacks is potentially promising because of the possibility of fabricating devices with high efficiency and new properties. Ultrafast charge transfer across the interface and long lifetime of carriers makes the vertical geometry attractive with respect to traditional bulk heterostructures. In such ultrathin structures, the multiple boundaries and the thickness of each material play a key role in the interaction of light with the device and can strongly influence the device performance. In this article we study light harvesting in 2D InSe/MoS ₂ semiconductor heterostructures by measuring Raman enhancement or attenuation as a function of layer thicknesses. Measurements are precisely reproduced by the calculation of the light emission, and the field distribution inside the heterostructure. Optimizing layer thickness and material interfaces has a significant effect on the light distribution in such 2D heterostructures with layer thickness in the region of a few tens of nanometers, providing a means to enhance the performance of emerging 2D semiconductor-heterostructure optoelectronics.