Valley-Selective Exciton Bistability in a Suspended Monolayer Semiconductor

Reconfigurable Two-Dimensional Air-Gap Barristors

Reconfigurable logic circuits implemented by two-dimensional (2D) ambipolar semiconductors provide a prospective solution for the post-Moore era. It is still a challenge for ambipolar nanomaterials to realize reconfigurable polarity control and rectification with a simplified device structure. Here, an air-gap barristor based on an asymmetric stacking sequence of the electrode contacts was developed to resolve these issues. For the 2D ambipolar channel of WSe₂, the barristor can not only be reconfigured as an n- or p-type unipolar transistor but also work as a switchable diode. The air gap around the bottom electrode dominates the reconfigurable behaviors by widening the Schottky barrier here, thus blocking the injection of both electrons and holes. The electrical performances can be improved by optimizing the electrode materials, which achieve an on/off ratio of 10⁴ for the transistor and a rectifying ratio of 10⁵ for the diode. A complementary inverter and a switchable AND/OR logic gate were constructed by using the air-gap barristors as building blocks. This work provides an efficient approach with great potential for low-dimensional reconfigurable electronics.

Suspended semiconductor nanostructures: physics and technology

The current state of research on quantum and ballistic electron transport in semiconductor nanostructures with a two-dimensional electron gas separated from the substrate and nanoelectromechanical systems is reviewed. These nanostructures fabricated using the surface nanomachining technique have certain unexpected features in comparison to their non-suspended counterparts, such as additional mechanical degrees of freedom, enhanced electron-electron interaction and weak heat sink. Moreover, their mechanical functionality can be used as an additional tool for studying the electron transport, complementary to the ordinary electrical measurements. The article includes a comprehensive review of spin-dependent electron transport and multichannel effects in suspended quantum point contacts, ballistic and adiabatic transport in suspended nanostructures, as well as investigations on nanoelectromechanical systems. We aim to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in suspended semiconductor nanostructures and their applications in nanoelectronics, spintronics and emerging quantum technologies.

All-optical nonreciprocity due to valley polarization pumping in transition metal dichalcogenides

Nonreciprocity and nonreciprocal optical devices play a vital role in modern photonic technologies by enforcing one-way propagation of light. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical approach to nonreciprocity based on valley-selective response in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). This approach overcomes the limitations of magnetic materials and it does not require an external magnetic field. We provide experimental evidence of photoinduced nonreciprocity in a monolayer WS2 pumped by circularly polarized (CP) light. Nonreciprocity stems from valley-selective exciton population, giving rise to nonlinear circular dichroism controlled by CP pump fields. Our experimental results reveal a significant effect even at room temperature, despite considerable intervalley-scattering, showing promising potential for practical applications in magnetic-free nonreciprocal platforms. As an example, here we propose a device scheme to realize an optical isolator based on a pass-through silicon nitride (SiN) ring resonator integrating the optically biased TMD monolayer.

Tunable Exciton-Optomechanical Coupling in Suspended Monolayer MoSe2

The strong excitonic effect in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors has enabled many fascinating light-matter interaction phenomena. Examples include strongly coupled exciton-polaritons and nearly perfect atomic monolayer mirrors. The strong light-matter interaction also opens the door for dynamical control of mechanical motion through the exciton resonance of monolayer TMDs. Here, we report the observation of exciton-optomechanical coupling in a suspended monolayer MoSe₂ mechanical resonator. By moderate optical pumping near the MoSe₂ exciton resonance, we have observed optical damping and antidamping of mechanical vibrations as well as the optical spring effect. The exciton-optomechanical coupling strength is also gate-tunable. Our observations can be understood in a model based on photothermal backaction and gate-induced mirror symmetry breaking in the device structure. The observation of gate-tunable exciton-optomechanical coupling in a monolayer semiconductor may find applications in nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and in exciton-optomechanics.

Magneto-Memristive Switching in a 2D Layer Antiferromagnet

Memristive devices whose resistance can be hysteretically switched by electric field or current are intensely pursued both for fundamental interest as well as potential applications in neuromorphic computing and phase-change memory. When the underlying material exhibits additional charge or spin order, the resistive states can be directly coupled, further allowing electrical control of the collective phases. The observation of abrupt, memristive switching of tunneling current in nanoscale junctions of ultrathin CrI₃ , a natural layer antiferromagnet, is reported here. The coupling to spin order enables both tuning of the resistance hysteresis by magnetic field and electric-field switching of magnetization even in multilayer samples.

Nonlinear Optical Response in Graphene/WX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) van der Waals Heterostructures

Light-frequency conversion based on two-dimensional (2D) materials is of great importance for modern nano- and integrated photonics. Herein, we report both the intrinsic (from the pure WX₂ (X = S, Se, and Te)) and extrinsic (from the interface of graphene/WX₂) second-order nonlinear coefficient tensor from graphene/WX₂ van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures by first-principles calculations. The prominent peaks in the dispersion relation of the intrinsic second-order nonlinear coefficient in monolayer WX₂ are due to the Van Hove singularity in the high-symmetry point or along the high-symmetry line with high joint density of states. The enhanced nonlinear optical response in the infrared band can be achieved in graphene/WS₂ vdW heterostructures, resulting from the interlayer charge transfer between graphene and WS₂. The value of the intrinsic second-order nonlinear coefficients of graphene/WSe₂ vdW heterostructures is 1.5 times larger than that of pure monolayer WSe₂ at the band gap energy of monolayer WSe₂ because of the enhanced carrier generation after the heterostructure formation. Different from pure monolayer WX₂, azimuthal angle-dependent second harmonic generation from graphene/WX₂ vdW heterostructures exhibits extraordinary rotational symmetry at different photon energies, which can be used to deduce the extrinsic second-order nonlinear coefficient. These results pave the way for the nonlinear optical coefficient design based on 2D heterostructures for nonlinear nanophotonics and integrated devices.