Atomic displacements drive flat band formation and lateral electron and hole separation in near-60 degree twisted MoSe2/WSe2 bilayers

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Phillips, Madeleine, Hellberg, C. Stephen
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866914108142518272
author Phillips, Madeleine
Hellberg, C. Stephen
author_facet Phillips, Madeleine
Hellberg, C. Stephen
contents Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) bilayers with an interlayer twist exhibit a moire super-period, whose effects can manifest in both structural and electronic properties. Atomic displacements can lead to reconstruction into domains of aligned stacking, and flat bands can form that may host correlated electron states. In heterobilayers angular mismatch is nearly unavoidable, so understanding the consequences of an interlayer twist is essential. Using ab initio density functional theory, we find that in near-60 degree twisted MoSe2/WSe2 bilayers valence and conduction band flat bands emerge at ~3 degree twist. Despite relatively limited reconstruction at these angles, atomic displacement creates a polarization gradient that forms a confining potential, localizing and laterally separating electrons and holes within the moire supercell. Excitons formed from flat band electrons and holes should therefore have not only the out-of-plane dipole moment familiar from MoSe2/WSe2 interlayer excitons, but an in-plane dipole moment as well.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_19596
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Atomic displacements drive flat band formation and lateral electron and hole separation in near-60 degree twisted MoSe2/WSe2 bilayers
Phillips, Madeleine
Hellberg, C. Stephen
Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) bilayers with an interlayer twist exhibit a moire super-period, whose effects can manifest in both structural and electronic properties. Atomic displacements can lead to reconstruction into domains of aligned stacking, and flat bands can form that may host correlated electron states. In heterobilayers angular mismatch is nearly unavoidable, so understanding the consequences of an interlayer twist is essential. Using ab initio density functional theory, we find that in near-60 degree twisted MoSe2/WSe2 bilayers valence and conduction band flat bands emerge at ~3 degree twist. Despite relatively limited reconstruction at these angles, atomic displacement creates a polarization gradient that forms a confining potential, localizing and laterally separating electrons and holes within the moire supercell. Excitons formed from flat band electrons and holes should therefore have not only the out-of-plane dipole moment familiar from MoSe2/WSe2 interlayer excitons, but an in-plane dipole moment as well.
title Atomic displacements drive flat band formation and lateral electron and hole separation in near-60 degree twisted MoSe2/WSe2 bilayers
topic Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.19596