Ms. Inbar Dahan - M.Sc. Candidate
26/07/2026
אודיטוריום ע"ש דויד וואנג, בניין מידן, קומה 3
13:30
The increasing demand for energy-efficient memory and neuromorphic computing technologies has driven growing interest in two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric materials, which offer unique advantages due to their atomically thin nature, stable polarization down to the monolayer limit, and the combination of strong electrical, optical, and thermal properties. α-In₂Se₃ has emerged as a particularly promising 2D semiconductor, combining robust optoelectronic properties with room-temperature ferroelectricity and coupled in-plane and out-of-plane polarization. Realizing the full potential of ferroelectric devices, however, requires characterization techniques capable of resolving the complex interplay between local electric fields, charge transport, and polarization-dependent phenomena at the microscale.
In this seminar, I will present the use of Scanning Photocurrent Microscopy (SPCM) as a tool for investigating the local optoelectronic behavior of α-In₂Se₃-based devices. After reviewing conventional SPCM approaches, I will introduce a phase-resolved methodology based on lock-in detection, enabling access to physical information beyond standard photocurrent mapping.
In particular, using DC phase-resolved SPCM, we were able to spatially map internal electric fields and directly identify the location of depletion regions with significantly improved contrast in comparison with the photocurrent distribution. Extending this approach to AC operation, we directly probed the pyroelectric response of α-In₂Se₃, allowing separation of thermally induced signals from conventional photovoltaic contributions. These results demonstrate how phase-resolved SPCM provides deeper insight into local device physics and establishes a powerful framework for understanding, optimizing, and designing advanced ferroelectric devices for future optoelectronic applications.