Light induced current in two-dimensional (2D) layered materials emerges from mechanisms such as photothermoelectric effect, photovoltaic effect or nonlocal hot carrier transport. Semiconducting layered transition metal dichalcogenides have been studied extensively in recent years as the generation of current by light is a crucial process in optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. However, photocurrent generation is unexpected in metallic 2D layered materials unless a photothermal mechanism is prevalent. Typically, high thermal conductivity and low absorption of the visible spectrum prevent photothermal current generation in metals. Here, we report photoresponse from two-terminal devices of mechanically exfoliated metallic 3R-NbS$_2$ thin crystals using scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) both at zero and finite bias. SPCM measurements reveal that the photocurrent predominantly emerges from metal/NbS$_2$ junctions of the two-terminal device at zero bias. At finite biases, along with the photocurrent generated at metal/NbS$_2$ junctions, now a negative photoresponse from all over the NbS$_2$ crystal is evident. Among our results, we realized that the observed photocurrent can be explained by the local heating caused by the laser excitation. These findings show that NbS$_2$ is among a few metallic materials in which photocurrent generation is possible.
Nonlinear optical properties, such as bulk photovoltaic effects, possess great potential in energy harvesting, photodetection, rectification, etc. To enable efficient light-current conversion, materials with strong photo-responsivity are highly desirable. In this work, we predict that monolayer Janus transition metal dichalcogenides (JTMDs) in the 1T' phase possess colossal nonlinear photoconductivity owing to their topological band mixing, strong inversion symmetry breaking, and small electronic bandgap. 1T' JTMDs have inverted bandgaps on the order of 10 meV and are exceptionally responsive …
Two-dimensional (2D) lateral heterojunctions of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have become a reality in recent years. Semiconducting TMDC layers in their common H -structure have a nonzero in-plane electric polarization, which is a topological invariant. We show by means of first-principles calculations that lateral 2D heterojunctions between TMDCs with a different polarization generate one-dimensional (1D) metallic states at the junction, even in cases where the different materials are joined epitaxially. The metallicity does not depend upon structural details, and is explained from…
Stability of metallic edges and Fermi-level pinning in transition-metal dichalcogenide nanoribbons
MoS $_2$的纳米带呈现出独特的电子结构，该电子结构由金属边缘限定的半导体块体组成;这同样适用于其他过渡金属二硫属化物（TMD）（Mo-、W-、S $_{2}$、Se $_{2}$）。我们进行第一性原理计算的TMD纳米带与重建之字形金属终止的边缘，包含硫族吸附原子。当硫族元素的化学势接近固体的能量时，所有的纳米棒都具有正的边能，而当化学势高时，所有的纳米棒都具有负的边能。用两个硫族元素吸附原子的重建预计是最稳定的一个。在所有纳米带中，在其边缘附近发现金属相，该金属相的费米能级低于2D材料的费米能级。
Electrically tunable circular photocurrent via local-field induced symmetry breaking at a metal-MoTe2 interface
National Gravitation Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory of Fundamental Physical Quantities Measurement, Huazhong University of Science and Technology（引力实验室，教育部物理量基本测量重点实验室，华中科技大学）；School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology（华中科技大学物理学院）；Kunming Institute of Physics（昆明物理研究所）；Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics（凝聚态物理北京国家实验室；中国科学院物理研究所纳米物理与器件重点实验室）；Key Laboratory for Nanoscale Physics and Devices, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学物理科学学院）；School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
We investigate excitonic transitions in a h-BN encapsulated monolayer $\textrm{MoS}_2$ phototransistor by photocurrent spectroscopy at cryogenic temperature (T = 5 K). The spectra presents excitonic peaks with linewidths as low as 8 meV, one order of magnitude lower than in earlier photocurrent spectroscopy measurements. We observe four spectral features corresponding to the ground states of neutral excitons ($\textrm{X}_{\textrm{1s}}^\textrm{A}$ and $\textrm{X}_{\textrm{1s}}^\textrm{B}$) and charged trions ($\textrm{T}^\textrm{A}$ and $\textrm{T}^\textrm{B}$) as well as up to eight additional…
A metallic CrS$_2$ phase bridging the gap between two- and three-dimensional dichalcogenides
CNRS（法国国家科学研究中心）；MNHN（法国国家自然历史博物馆）；UNICAEN（卡昂大学）；ENSICAEN（高等师范学院卡昂分校）；Laboratoire CRISMAT UMR CNRS 6508（CRISMAT实验室 (UMR CNRS 6508)）；Laboratoire de Physique des Solides（固体物理实验室）
We report a first-principle theoretical study of a monolayer-thick lateral heterostructure (LH) joining two different transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC): NbS2 and WSe2. The NbS2//WSe2 LH can be considered a prototypical example of a conducting(NbS2)/semiconducting(WSe2) two-dimensional (2D) hybrid heterojunction. We first generate and validate realistic atomistic models of the NbS2//WSe2 LH, derive their band structure and subject it to a fragment decomposition and electrostatic potential analysis to extract a simple but quantitative model of this interfacial system. Stoichiometric fluctu…
Spin current generators are critical components for spintronics-based information processing. In this work, we theoretically and computationally investigate the bulk spin photovoltaic (BSPV) effect for creating DC spin current under light illumination. The only requirement for BPSV is inversion symmetry breaking, thus it applies to a broad range of materials and can be readily integrated with existing semiconductor technologies. The BSPV effect is a cousin of the bulk photovoltaic (BPV) effect, whereby a DC charge current is generated under light. Thanks to the different selection rules on spi…
Shrinking the size of a bulk metal into nanoscale leads to the discreteness of electronic energy levels, the so-called Kubo gap. Renormalization of the electronic properties with a tunable and size-dependent Kubo gap renders fascinating photon emission and electron tunneling. In contrast with usual three-dimensional (3D) metal clusters, here we demonstrate that Kubo gap can be achieved with a two-dimensional (2D) metallic transition metal dichalcogenide (i.e., 1T'-phase MoTe2) nanocluster embedded in a semiconducting polymorph (i.e., 1H-phase MoTe2). Such a 1T'-1H MoTe2 nanodomain resembles a …
Mechanical properties of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are relevant to their prospective applications in flexible electronics. So far, the focus has been on the semiconducting TMDCs, mostly MoX2 and WX2 (X=S, Se) due to their potential in optoelectronics. A comprehensive understanding of the elastic properties of metallic TMDCs is needed to complement the semiconducting TMDCs in flexible optoelectronics. Thus, mechanical testing of metallic TMDCs is pertinent to the realization of the applications. Here, we report on the atomic force microscopy-based nano-indentation measurements on…
Integration of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) into functional optoelectronic circuitries requires an understanding of the charge transfer across the interface between the TMD and the contacting material. Here, we use spatially resolved photocurrent microscopy to demonstrate electronic uniformity at the epitaxial graphene/molybdenum disulfide (EG/MoS2) interface. A 10x larger photocurrent is extracted at the EG/MoS2 interface when compared to metal (Ti/Au) /MoS2 interface. This is supported by semi-local density-functional theory (DFT), which predicts the Schottky barrie…
We present a high-pressure investigation of the semiconductor-to-metal transition in MoS2 and WS2 carried out by synchrotron-based far-infrared spectroscopy, to reconcile the controversial estimates of the metallization pressure found in the literature and gain new insight into the mechanisms ruling this electronic transition. Two spectral descriptors are found indicative of the onset of metallicity and of the origin of the free carriers in the metallic state: the absorbance spectral weight, whose abrupt increase defines the metallization pressure threshold, and the asymmetric lineshape of the…
Three-photon photoemission on metallic transition metal dichalcogenide NiTe$_{2}$
Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica（原子分子科学研究所，中央研究院）；Molecular Science and Technology Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica（分子科学与技术项目，台湾国际研究生计划，中央研究院）；Department of Physics, National Taiwan University（物理学系，台湾大学）；Department of Physics, National Sun Yat-sen University（物理学系，国立中山大学）；Department of Physics, National Central University（物理学系，国立中央大学）；Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali（物理学系，印度科学教育与研究学院（IISER）莫哈利分校）；Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing, National Cheng Kung University（创新半导体与可持续制造学院，国立成功大学）；Taiwan Consortium of Emergent Crystalline Materials (TCECM), National Science and Technology Council（新兴晶体材料台湾联盟（TCECM），国家科学及技术委员会）
Crystal Symmetry Selected Pure Spin Photocurrent in Altermagnetic Insulators
School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology（北京理工大学物理学院）；Key Lab of Advanced Optoelectronic Quantum Architecture and Measurement (Ministry of Education), Beijing Institute of Technology（北京理工大学先进光电子量子架构与测量教育部重点实验室）；Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering and Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology（南方科技大学量子科学工程研究院及物理系）
We study ultrafast photocurrents in thin films of a model ferromagnetic metal with broken bulk inversion symmetry, the half-metallic Heusler compound NiMnSb, following excitation with an optical pump pulse with photon energy 1.55 eV. Remarkably, in terms of the direction of the sample magnetization M, all photocurrents are found to be a superposition of a component with Rashba- and Dresselhaus-type symmetry. We explain the Dresselhaus bulk photocurrent as follows: Pump-induced electron heating induces an excess of spin μ_s||M, which transfers spin angular momentum into states with Dresselhaus-…
Exploring novel two-dimensional multiferroic materials that can realize electric-field control of two-dimensional magnetism has become an emerging topic in spintronics. Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that non-metallic bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can be an ideal platform for building multiferroics by intercalated magnetic atoms. Moreover, we unveil that with Co intercalated bilayer MoS2, Co(MoS2)2, two energetic degenerate states with opposite chirality of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) are the ground states, indicating electric-field control of…
The quasiparticle spectra of atomically thin semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and their response to an ultrafast optical excitation critically depend on interactions with the underlying substrate. Here, we present a comparative time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (TR-ARPES) study of the transient electronic structure and ultrafast carrier dynamics in the single- and bilayer TMDCs MoS$_2$ and WS$_2$ on three different substrates: Au(111), Ag(111) and graphene/SiC. The photoexcited quasiparticle bandgaps are observed to vary over the range of 1.9-2.3 eV bet…
The phase transitions among polymorphic two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted increasing attention for their potential in enabling distinct functionalities in the same material for making integrated devices. Electron-injection to TMDs has been proved to be a feasible way to drive structural phase transition from the semiconducting H-phase to the semimetal dT-phase. In this contribution, based on density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, firstly we demonstrate that hole-injection drives the transition of the H-phase more efficiently to the metallic T-ph…
Understanding the origin of valence band maxima (VBM) splitting in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is important because it governs the unique spin and valley physics in monolayer and multilayer TMDs. In this work, we present our systematic study of VBM splitting ($Δ$) in atomically thin MoS$_2$ and WS$_2$ by employing photocurrent spectroscopy as we change the temperature and the layer numbers. We found that VBM splitting in monolayer MoS$_2$ and WS$_2$ depends strongly on temperature, which contradicts the theory that spin-orbit coupling solely determines the VBM splitting in monolaye…
Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) attract significant attention due to their exceptional optical and excitonic properties. It was understood already in the 1960s, and recently rediscovered, that many TMDs possess high refractive index and optical anisotropy, which make them attractive for nanophotonic applications. However, accurate analysis and predictions of nanooptical phenomena require knowledge of dielectric constants along both in- and out-of-plane directions and over a broad spectral range -- information, which is often inaccessible or incomplete. Here, we present an experimental …
Pulsed thermal deposition of binary and ternary transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers and heterostructures
过渡金属二硫属化物（TMDC）在光子器件、光电器件或谷电子器件中的应用需要在单一工艺中生长不同材料的连续单层、异质结构和合金。我们提出了一种简便的脉冲热沉积方法，它提供了精确的控制层厚度和化学计量的二维系统。该方法的通用性被证明在三元单层的钼$_{1-x}$ W $_{x}$ S $_{2}$和异质结构相结合的金属TaS $_{2}$和半导体MoS $_{2}$层。制备的三元单分子膜覆盖了$x$ = 0. 1、无相分离。带隙工程和控制的自旋轨道耦合强度的吸收和光致发光光谱证明。垂直异质结构的生长没有相互混合。清洁和原子突变界面的形成是由高分辨率透射电子显微镜证明。由于金属组分以及硫族化物都是热蒸发的，因此可以制备复杂的合金和异质结构。
We study the electromechanical response of Janus transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanotubes from first principles. In particular, considering both armchair and zigzag variants of twenty-seven select Janus TMD nanotubes, we determine the change in bandgap and charge carriers' effective mass upon axial and torsional deformations using density functional theory (DFT). We observe that metallic nanotubes remain unaffected, whereas the bandgap in semiconducting nanotubes decreases linearly and quadratically with axial and shear strains, respectively, leading to semiconductor--metal transitions.…
Trends in structural, electronic properties, Fermi surface topology, and inter-atomic bonding in the series of ternary layered dichalcogenides KNi2S2, KNi2Se2, and KNi2Te2 from first principles calculations
利用FLAPW-GGA方法，我们系统地研究了四硫属二硫化物KNi_2CH_2（CH = S，Se，Te）的结构和电子性质.结果表明，硫族元素（S -> Se -> Te）的置换导致晶体结构的各向异性变形，这与[Ni_2Ch_2]块内原子间键的强各向异性有关，在[Ni_2Ch_2]块内形成共价-离子-金属混合键，而在相邻的[Ni_2Ch_2]块和K原子片之间形成离子键.我们发现在KNi_2S_2-> KNi_2Se_2-> KNi_2 Te_2的顺序中（i）整个能带结构（其中近费米价带主要由Ni态产生）的能级保持不变，但公共价带的宽度、分立子带和带隙的宽度减小;（iii）对于费米面，当类二维片形成项链状拓扑结构且封闭口袋的体积减小时，类孔片表现出最明显的变化.讨论了ThCr_2Si_2型层状二硫属化合物KNi_2Ch_2、KFe_2Ch_2、KCo_2Se_2的结构和电子参数的变化趋势。
We present an ab initio approach for the calculation of phonon self-energies and their fluctuation diagnostics, which allows us to identify the electronic processes behind phonon anomalies. Application to the transition-metal-dichalcogenide monolayer 1H-TaS$_2$ reveals that coupling between the longitudinal-acoustic phonons and the electrons from an isolated low-energy metallic band is entirely responsible for phonon anomalies such as the mode softening and associated charge-density waves observed in this material. Our analysis allows us to distinguish between different mode-softening mechanis…
We study the effect of torsional deformations on the electronic properties of single-walled transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanotubes. In particular, considering forty-five select armchair and zigzag TMD nanotubes, we perform symmetry-adapted Kohn-Sham density functional theory calculations to determine the variation in bandgap and effective mass of charge carriers with twist. We find that metallic nanotubes remain so even after deformation, whereas semiconducting nanotubes experience a decrease in bandgap with twist -- originally direct bandgaps become indirect -- resulting in semicondu…
Defect-induced states, defect-induced phase transition and excitonic states in bent transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanoribbons: density functional vs. many body theory
Computational methods are fast becoming an integral part of nanoelectronics design process. With increasing computational power, electron transport simulation methods such as Non-equilibrium Greens function (NEGF) methods now hold promise in study and design of new electronic devices. Single molecule circuits as optimized device size covers a significant electron transmission, which originated of intrinsic molecular properties. In this study, we study and design a single molecule switch based on a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) electrode (molybdenum disulphide (MoS2)) and a photochromic…
Tunability of polar and semiconducting properties of low-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have propelled them to the forefront of fundamental and applied physical research. These materials can vary from non-polar to ferroelectric, and from direct-band semiconductor to metallic. However, in addition to classical controls such as composition, doping, and field effect in TMDs the additional degrees of freedom emerge due to the curvature-induced electron redistribution and associated changes in electronic properties. Here we numerically explore the elastic and electric fields, f…
