Interfacial Thermal Conductance between Monolayer WSe₂ and SiO₂ under Consideration of Radiative Electron–Hole Recombination

This work reports the interfacial thermal conductance (G) and radiative recombination efficiency (β), also known as photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY), of monolayer WSe2 flakes supported by fused silica substrates via energy-transport state-resolved Raman (ET-Raman). This is the first known work to consider the effect of radiative electron–hole recombination on the thermal transport characteristics of single-layer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). ET-Raman uses a continuous-wave laser for steady-state heating as well as nanosecond and picosecond lasers for transient energy transport to simultaneously heat the monolayer flakes and extract the Raman signal. The three lasers induce distinct heating phenomena that distinguish the interfacial thermal conductance and radiative recombination efficiency, which can then be determined in tandem with three-dimensional (3D) numerical modeling of the temperature rise from respective laser irradiation. For the five samples measured, G is found to range from 2.10 ± 0.14 to 15.9 ± 5.0 MW m–2 K–1 and β ranges from 36 ± 6 to 65 ± 7%. These values support the claim that interfacial phenomena such as surface roughness and two-dimensional (2D) material–substrate bonding strength play critical roles in interfacial thermal transport and electron–hole recombination mechanisms in TMD monolayers. It is also determined that low-level defect density enhances the radiative recombination efficiency of single-layer WSe2.