Correlated states in twisted double bilayer graphene

Electron-electron interactions play an important role in graphene and related systems and can induce exotic quantum states, especially in a stacked bilayer with a small twist angle. For bilayer graphene where the two layers are twisted by a "magic angle", flat band and strong many-body effects lead to correlated insulating states and superconductivity. In contrast to monolayer graphene, the band structure of untwisted bilayer graphene can be further tuned by a displacement field, providing an extra degree of freedom to control the flat band that should appear when two bilayers are stacked on top of each other. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of such displacement-field tunable electronic phases in twisted double bilayer graphene. We observe insulating states at a half-filled conduction band in an intermediate range of displacement fields. Furthermore, the resistance gap in the correlated insulator increases with respect to the in-plane magnetic fields and we find that the g factor according to spin Zeeman effect is ~2, indicating spin polarization at half filling. These results establish the twisted double bilayer graphene as an easily tunable platform for exploring quantum many-body states

Observation of first-order quantum phase transitions and ferromagnetism in twisted double bilayer graphene

Twisted graphene multilayers are highly tunable flatband systems for developing new phases of matter. Thus far, while orbital ferromagnetism has been observed in valley polarized phases, the long-range orders of other correlated phases as well as the quantum phase transitions between different orders mostly remain unknown. Here, we report an observation of Coulomb interaction driven first-order quantum phase transitions and ferromagnetism in twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG). At zero magnetic field, the transitions are revealed in a series of step-like abrupt resistance jumps with prominent hysteresis loop when either the displacement field (D) or the carrier density (n) is tuned across symmetry-breaking boundary near half filling, indicating a formation of ordered domains. It is worth noting that the good turnability and switching of these states gives a rise to a memory performance with a large on/off ratio. Moreover, when both spin and valley play the roles at finite magnetic field, we observe abundant first-order quantum phase transitions among normal metallic states from charge neutral point, orbital ferromagnetic states from quarter filling, and spin-polarized states from half filling. We interpret these first-order phase transitions in the picture of phase separations and spin domain percolations driven by multi-field tunable Coulomb interactions, in agreement with Lifshitz transition from Hartree-Fock calculations. The observed multi-filed tunable domain structure and its hysteresis resembles the characteristics of multiferroics, revealing intriguing magnetoelectric properties. Our result enriches the correlated phase diagram in TDBG for discovering novel exotic phases and quantum phase transitions, and it would benefit other twisted moir\'e systems as well

Layer-by-Layer Epitaxy of Multilayer MoS2 Wafers

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor of MoS2 has great potential for advanced electronics technologies beyond silicon1-9. So far, high-quality monolayer MoS2 wafers10-12 are already available and various demonstrations from individual transistors to integrated circuits have also been shown13-15. In addition to the monolayer, multilayers have narrower band gaps but improved carrier mobilities and current capacities over the monolayer5,16-18. However, achieving high-quality multilayer MoS2 wafers remains a challenge. Here we report the growth of high quality multilayer MoS2 4-inch wafers via the layer-by-layer epitaxy process. The epitaxy leads to well-defined stacking orders between adjacent epitaxial layers and offers a delicate control of layer numbers up to 6. Systematic evaluations on the atomic structures and electronic properties were carried out for achieved wafers with different layer numbers. Significant improvements on device performances were found in thicker-layer field effect transistors (FETs), as expected. For example, the average field-effect mobility ({\mu}FE) at room temperature (RT) can increase from ~80 cm2V-1s-1 for monolayer to ~110/145 cm2V-1s-1 for bilayer/trilayer devices. The highest RT {\mu}FE=234.7 cm2V-1s-1 and a record-high on-current densities of 1.704 mA{\mu}m-1 at Vds=2 V were also achieved in trilayer MoS2 FETs with a high on/off ratio exceeding 107. Our work hence moves a step closer to practical applications of 2D MoS2 in electronics.Comment: 13 pages,4 Figure

Room-temperature correlated states in twisted bilayer MoS2_2

Moir\'e superlattices have emerged as an exciting condensed-matter quantum simulator for exploring the exotic physics of strong electronic correlations. Notable progress has been witnessed, but such correlated states are achievable usually at low temperatures. Here, we report the transport evidences of room-temperature correlated electronic states and layer-hybridized SU(4) Hubbard model simulator in AB-stacked MoS$_2$ homo-bilayer moir\'e superlattices. Correlated insulating states at moir\'e band filling factors v = 1, 2, 3 are unambiguously established in twisted bilayer MoS$_2$. Remarkably, the correlated electronic states can persist up to a record-high critical temperature of over 285 K. The realization of room-temperature correlated states in twisted bilayer MoS$_2$ can be understood as the cooperation effects of the stacking-specific atomic reconstruction and the resonantly enhanced interlayer hybridization, which largely amplify the moir\'e superlattice effects on electronic correlations. Furthermore, extreme large non-linear Hall responses up to room-temperature are uncovered near correlated insulating states, demonstrating the quantum geometry of moir\'e flat conduction band.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

Observation of logarithmic Kohn anomaly in monolayer graphene

| openaire: EC/H2020/820423/EU//S2QUIP | openaire: EC/H2020/834742/EU//ATOPElectron-phonon coupling in monolayer graphene breaks the adiabatic Born-Oppenheimer approximation and could lead to exotic logarithmic Kohn anomaly, manifested as logarithmic singularity in optical-phonon energy. However, unraveling unambiguously the fascinating logarithmic Kohn anomaly in monolayer graphene remains challenging due to the large carrier inhomogeneity originating from the unique massless Dirac-like band dispersion and the underneath substrate doping effect. Here we demonstrate a clear signature of intriguing logarithmic Kohn anomaly in monolayer graphene with ultralow carrier inhomogeneity via h-BN encapsulation. Significantly, the magnitude of anomalous phonon softening at 25 K shows an enhancement factor of 2 as compared to that previously observed in bilayer graphene at 12 K, even though bilayer graphene with nearly parabolic band dispersion is more immune to charged impurities. The uncovered unusual logarithmic Kohn anomaly in monolayer graphene can provide a firm basis for the understanding of various peculiar physics and may shed light on the nature of superconductivity in magic-angle graphene superlattices.Peer reviewe

Interlayer exciton complexes in bilayer MoS2

| openaire: EC/H2020/820423/EU//S2QUIP | openaire: EC/H2020/834742/EU//ATOPAtomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides can show a rich variety of bound exciton complex states, such as trions, biexcitons, Fermi polarons, and phonon replicas, because of the reduced dielectric screening and enhanced Coulomb interaction. To date, studies have mainly focused on the complexes of intralayer excitons, while the electrically tunable interlayer exciton (IX) complexes remain elusive. Here, we report the observation of IX complexes with large out-of-plane electric dipole, strong emission intensity, and giant valley responses in bilayer MoS2, through on-resonance photoluminescence spectroscopy. In sharp contrast to the small, positive circular dichroism of intralayer excitons, the circular polarization of IX complexes in bilayer MoS2 can basically reach the theoretical limit (100%) but is negative. Such highly unusual light-valley responses of IX complexes in bilayer MoS2 demonstrate the strongly suppressed valley depolarization and spin-preserving scattering of electrons during the formation. Remarkably, by breaking the time-reversal symmetry with an out-of-plane magnetic field, a record level of spontaneous valley polarization (7.7%/Tesla) is identified for IX complexes in bilayer MoS2. The giant valley polarization of IX complexes in bilayer MoS2, together with the feasibility of electrical/optical/magnetic control, provides a firm basis for the development of next-generation electronic and optoelectronic applications with valley functionalities.Peer reviewe

Quantum oscillations in field-induced correlated insulators of a moir\'e superlattice

We report an observation of quantum oscillations (QOs) in the correlated insulators with valley anisotropy of twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG). The anomalous QOs are best captured in the magneto resistivity oscillations of the insulators at v = -2, with a period of 1/B and an oscillation amplitude as high as 150 k{\Omega}. The QOs can survive up to ~10 K, and above 12 K, the insulating behaviors are dominant. The QOs of the insulator are strongly D dependent: the carrier density extracted from the 1/B periodicity decreases almost linearly with D from -0.7 to -1.1 V/nm, suggesting a reduced Fermi surface; the effective mass from Lifshitz-Kosevich analysis depends nonlinearly on D, reaching a minimal value of 0.1 me at D = ~ -1.0 V/nm. Similar observations of QOs are also found at v = 2, as well as in other devices without graphite gate. We interpret the D sensitive QOs of the correlated insulators in the picture of band inversion. By reconstructing an inverted band model with the measured effective mass and Fermi surface, the density of state at the gap, calculated from thermal broadened Landau levels, agrees qualitatively with the observed QOs in the insulators. While more theoretical understandings are needed in the future to fully account for the anomalous QOs in this moir\'e system, our study suggests that TDBG is an excellent platform to discover exotic phases where correlation and topology are at play

Hot-Pressed Two-Dimensional Amorphous Metals and Their Electronic Properties

As an emerging research field, two-dimensional (2D) metals have been the subject of increasing research efforts in recent years due to their potential applications. However, unlike typical 2D layered materials, such as graphene, which can be exfoliated from their bulk parent compounds, it is hardly possible to produce 2D metals through exfoliation techniques due to the absence of Van der Waals gaps. Indeed, the lack of effective material preparation methods severely limits the development of this research field. Here, we report a PDMS-assisted hot-pressing method in glovebox to obtain ultraflat nanometer-thick 2D metals/metal oxide amorphous films of various low-melting-point metals and alloys, e.g., gallium (Ga), indium (In), tin (Sn), and Ga0.87Ag0.13 alloy. The valence states extracted from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicate that the ratios of oxidation to metal in our 2D films vary among metals. The temperature-dependent electronic measurements show that the transport behavior of 2D metal/metal oxide films conform with the 2D Mott’s variable range hopping (VRH) model. Our experiments provide a feasible and effective approach to obtain various 2D metals

Spatially indirect intervalley excitons in bilayer WSe2

| openaire: EC/H2020/820423/EU//S2QUIP | openaire: EC/H2020/965124/EU//FEMTOCHIP | openaire: EC/H2020/834742/EU//ATOPSpatially indirect excitons with displaced wave functions of electrons and holes play a pivotal role in a large portfolio of fascinating physical phenomena and emerging optoelectronic applications, such as valleytronics, exciton spin Hall effect, excitonic integrated circuit, and high-temperature superfluidity. Here, we uncover three types of spatially indirect excitons (including their phonon replicas) and their quantum-confined Stark effects in hexagonal boron nitride encapsulated bilayer WSe2 by performing electric field-tunable photoluminescence measurements. Because of different out-of-plane electric dipole moments, the energy order between the three types of spatially indirect excitons can be switched by a vertical electric field. Remarkably, we demonstrate, assisted by first-principles calculations, that the observed spatially indirect excitons in bilayer WSe2 are also momentum indirect, involving electrons and holes from Λ and K/Γ valleys in the Brillouin zone, respectively. This is in contrast to thepreviously reported spatially indirect excitons with electrons and holes localized in the same valley. Furthermore, we find that the spatially indirect intervalley excitons in bilayer WSe2 can exhibit considerable, doping-sensitive circular polarization. The spatially indirect excitons with momentum-dark nature and highly tunable circular polarization may provide a firm basis for the understanding and engineering of technological applications in photonics and optoelectronics.Peer reviewe