Tuning the optical properties of layered semiconductors through sliding ferroelectricity
Ziliang Ye
UBC
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
10:30 a.m.
In-person: QNC 1101
Abstract: Controlling the stacking order in van der Waals materials is a powerful way to engineer their emergent properties. In parallel-stacked transition metal dichalcogenides, also known as the rhombohedral stacking order, the asymmetric atomic registry breaks the layer symmetry and generates an interfacial electrical polarization associated with an interlayer potential. Recently, we quantified the polarization strength and its spatial distribution in rhombohedral MoS2. Interestingly, we observed that the domain size distribution follows a power-law distribution, suggesting that the shear strain occurring during the mechanical exfoliation can induce an avalanche of domain wall motion. These pre-existing domain walls are found to be critical for the polarization switching behavior and can be utilized to control the optical response of these layered semiconductors in a non-volatile way.