The Yeh Lab group’s research activities at Caltech have been instrumental in studying semiconductors and making two-dimensional materials such as graphene, as highlighted on a BBC Horizons show.  

An emerging sub-field of semiconductor and two-dimensional research is that of Transition metal dichalcogenide (TDMC) monolayers. In particular, a monolayer of Tungsten disulfide, a TDMC, is believed to exhibit interesting semiconductor properties when exposed to circularly polarized light. My role in the Yeh Lab, as a visiting high school Physics Teacher intern,  for the Summer of 2017 has been to help research and set up a vacuum chamber to study Tungsten disulfide samples under circularly polarized light.

What makes semiconductors unique is that conductivity can be controlled by doping or changes in temperature. Higher temperatures or doping can bridge the energy gap between the valence and conduction bands; in other words, electrons can start moving from one side of the material to the other. Like graphene, Tungsten disulfide has a hexagonal, symmetric crystal structure. Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides in such a honeycomb structure have two valleys of energy. One valley can interact with another valley. Circularly polarized light is used to populate one valley versus another. This gives a degree of control over the population of electrons by polarized light.

The Yeh Lab Group prides itself on making in-house the materials and devices needed for research. For example, in order to study high temperature superconductors, the Yeh Group designed and built their own scanning tunneling microscope. When they began researching graphene, instead of buying vast quantities of graphene, they pioneered new ways of fabricating it. This research topic has been no different: Wei-hsiang Lin, a Caltech graduate student, has been busy fabricating Tungsten disulfide samples via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Tungsten oxide and sulfur powder.  

Wei-hsiang Lin’s area for using PLD to form the TDMC samples

There were also a number of flanges and parts already in the lab that needed to be examined for possible use. After triple checking the details the order was set with Kurt J. Lesker. Following a sufficient amount of anti-seize lubricant and numerous nuts, washers, and bolts, we assembled the vacuum chamber that will hold the TDMC sample.

The original vacuum chamber

Fun in the lab

The prepped vacuum chamber

The second part of my assignment was spent researching how to set up the optics for our experiment and ordering the necessary equipment. Once the experiment is up and running we will be using a milliWatt broad spectrum light source that is directed into a monochromator to narrow down the light to specific wavelengths for testing. Ultimately we will be evaluating the giant wavelength range of 300 nm through 1800 nm. Following the monochromator, light will be refocused by a planoconvex lens. Next, light will pass through a linear polarizer and then a circular polarizer (quarter wave plate). Lastly, the light will be refocused by a biconvex lens into the vacuum chamber and onto a 1 mm by 1 mm area of the sample.  

Soon, we are excited to verify how tungsten disulfide responds to circularly polarized light.  Does our sample resonate at the exact same wavelengths as the first labs found? Why or why not?  What other unique properties are observed?  How can they be explained?  How is the Hall Effect observed?  What does this mean for the possible applications of semiconductors? How can the transfer of information from one valley to another be used in advanced electronics for communication?  Then, similar exciting experimentation will take place with graphene under circularly polarized light.

I love the sharp contrast of the high-energy, adolescent classroom to the quiet, calm of the lab.  I am grateful for getting to learn a different and new-to-me area of Physics during the summer.  Yes, I remember studying polarization and semiconductors in high school and as an undergraduate.  But it is completely different to set up an experiment from scratch, to be a part of groundbreaking research in these areas.  And it is just fun to get to work with your hands and build research equipment at a world leading research university.  Sometimes Science teachers can get bogged down with all the paperwork and meetings.  I am grateful to have had this fabulous opportunity during the summer to work on applied Science and to be re-energized in my love for Physics.  I look forward to meeting my new batch of students in a few short weeks to share my curiosity and joy for learning how the world works with them.