Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials provide an ideal
platform
for visualizing several quantum mechanical phenomena, such as quantum
confinement, within a sheet of materials. In contrast to the case
of quantum wells (QWs) realized through conventional semiconductor
heterostructures, the QW made with 2D semiconductors offers a unique
platform to explore many-body effects with its optical excitation
and emission characteristics. Herein, we delve into the effect on
the photoluminescence (PL) emission spectrum from chemical vapor deposition-grown
monolayer (1L)-WS2 flakes upon being encapsulated by ultrathin
ZnO films. We assemble a sandwich-type structure with 1L-WS2 using ZnO, a higher band gap semiconductor, and investigate the
modulation of the PL emission from the WS2 flakes of subnanometer
thickness resulting from the quantum confinement and doping effect.
We have adopted excitation power- and temperature-dependent micro-PL
spectral analysis to comprehend the contributions of neutral excitons,
trions, biexcitons, and defects in the tunable PL from the sandwich
structure. The PL of 1L-WS2 is partly influenced by strain
and doping. Raman spectroscopy is utilized to understand the strain
and doping effects induced by the ZnO layer on 1L-WS2.
Unlike a typical quantum-well case, here, ZnO being a higher band
gap semiconductor injects carriers onto the 1L-WS2, which,
along with escalating the exciton density, causes the formation of
multibody quasiparticles, such as trions and biexcitons. Cryogenic
temperatures and high laser powers favor biexciton emission in monolayer
WS2, restricting the QW-induced excitonic PL enhancement
only to low excitation powers. This work offers insights into comprehension
of the carrier dynamics in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides
by encapsulation with ultrathin semiconductor layers and the modulation
of its PL emission for applications in excitonic light emission.