Two-dimensional electrons at mirror and twistronic twin boundaries in van der Waals ferroelectrics

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: McHugh, James G., Li, Xue, Soltero, Isaac, Fal'ko, Vladimir I.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911985533190144
author McHugh, James G.
Li, Xue
Soltero, Isaac
Fal'ko, Vladimir I.
author_facet McHugh, James G.
Li, Xue
Soltero, Isaac
Fal'ko, Vladimir I.
contents Semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (MX$_2$) occur in 2H and rhombohedral (3R) polytypes, respectively distinguished by anti-parallel and parallel orientation of consecutive monolayer lattices. In its bulk form, 3R-MX$_2$ is ferroelectric, hosting an out-of-plane electric polarisation, the direction of which is dictated by stacking. Here, we predict that twin boundaries, separating adjacent polarization domains with reversed built-in electric fields, are able to host two-dimensional electrons and holes with an areal density reaching $\sim 10^{13} {\rm cm}^{-2}$. Our modelling suggests that n-doped twin boundaries have a more promising binding energy than p-doped ones, whereas hole accumulation is stable at external surfaces of a twinned film. We also propose that assembling pairs of mono-twin films with a `magic' twist angle $θ^*$ that provides commensurability between the moiré pattern at the interface and the accumulated carrier density, should promote a regime of strongly correlated states of electrons, such as Wigner crystals, and we specify the values of $θ^*$ for homo- and heterostructures of various TMDs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_15040
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Two-dimensional electrons at mirror and twistronic twin boundaries in van der Waals ferroelectrics
McHugh, James G.
Li, Xue
Soltero, Isaac
Fal'ko, Vladimir I.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (MX$_2$) occur in 2H and rhombohedral (3R) polytypes, respectively distinguished by anti-parallel and parallel orientation of consecutive monolayer lattices. In its bulk form, 3R-MX$_2$ is ferroelectric, hosting an out-of-plane electric polarisation, the direction of which is dictated by stacking. Here, we predict that twin boundaries, separating adjacent polarization domains with reversed built-in electric fields, are able to host two-dimensional electrons and holes with an areal density reaching $\sim 10^{13} {\rm cm}^{-2}$. Our modelling suggests that n-doped twin boundaries have a more promising binding energy than p-doped ones, whereas hole accumulation is stable at external surfaces of a twinned film. We also propose that assembling pairs of mono-twin films with a `magic' twist angle $θ^*$ that provides commensurability between the moiré pattern at the interface and the accumulated carrier density, should promote a regime of strongly correlated states of electrons, such as Wigner crystals, and we specify the values of $θ^*$ for homo- and heterostructures of various TMDs.
title Two-dimensional electrons at mirror and twistronic twin boundaries in van der Waals ferroelectrics
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15040