Spin transport of a doped Mott insulator in moiré heterostructures.

Moiré superlattices of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayers are model systems for investigating strongly correlated electronic phenomena. Specifically, WSe/WS moiré superlattices have emerged as a quantum simulator for the two-dimensional extended Hubbard model. Experimental studies of charge transport have revealed correlated Mott insulator and generalized Wigner crystal states, but spin transport of the moiré heterostructure has not yet been sufficiently explored.

Anomalous Interlayer Exciton Diffusion in WS/WSe Moiré Heterostructure.

Stacking van der Waals crystals allows for the on-demand creation of a periodic potential landscape to tailor the transport of quasiparticle excitations. We investigate the diffusion of photoexcited electron-hole pairs, or excitons, at the interface of WS/WSe van der Waals heterostructure over a wide range of temperatures. We observe the appearance of distinct interlayer excitons for parallel and antiparallel stacking and track their diffusion through spatially and temporally resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy from 30 to 250 K.

Chern Insulator States with Tunable Chern Numbers in a Graphene Moiré Superlattice.

Moiré superlattices, constituted by two-dimensional materials, demonstrate a variety of strongly correlated and topological phenomena including correlated insulators, superconductivity, and integer/fractional Chern insulators. In the realm of topological nontrivial Chern insulators within specific moiré superlattices, previous studies usually observe a single Chern number at a given filling factor in a device. Here we present the observation of gate-tunable Chern numbers within the Chern insulator state of an ABC-stacked trilayer graphene/hexagonal boron nitride moiré superlattice device.

Low Resistance Contact to P-Type Monolayer WSe.

Advanced microelectronics in the future may require semiconducting channel materials beyond silicon. Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, with their atomically thin thickness, hold great promise for future electronic devices. One challenge to achieving high-performance 2D semiconductor field effect transistors (FET) is the high contact resistance at the metal-semiconductor interface.

Engineering correlated insulators in bilayer graphene with a remote Coulomb superlattice.

Electron superlattices allow the engineering of correlated and topological quantum phenomena. The recent emergence of moiré superlattices in two-dimensional heterostructures has led to exciting discoveries related to quantum phenomena. However, the requirement for the moiré pattern poses stringent limitations, and its potential cannot be switched on and off.

Thermodynamic behavior of correlated electron-hole fluids in van der Waals heterostructures.

Coupled two-dimensional electron-hole bilayers provide a unique platform to study strongly correlated Bose-Fermi mixtures in condensed matter. Electrons and holes in spatially separated layers can bind to form interlayer excitons, composite Bosons expected to support high-temperature exciton condensates. The interlayer excitons can also interact strongly with excess charge carriers when electron and hole densities are unequal.

Magnetic Field-Stabilized Wigner Crystal States in a Graphene Moiré Superlattice.

ABC-stacked trilayer graphene on boron nitride (ABC-TLG/hBN) moiré superlattices provides a tunable platform for exploring Wigner crystal states in which the electron correlation can be controlled by electric and magnetic fields. Here we report the observation of magnetic field-stabilized Wigner crystal states in a ABC-TLG/hBN. We show that correlated insulating states emerge at multiple fractional and integer fillings corresponding to ν = /, /, 1, /, /, and 2 electrons per moiré lattice site under a magnetic field.

Observation of hydrodynamic plasmons and energy waves in graphene.

Thermally excited electrons and holes form a quantum-critical Dirac fluid in ultraclean graphene and their electrodynamic responses are described by a universal hydrodynamic theory. The hydrodynamic Dirac fluid can host intriguing collective excitations distinctively different from those in a Fermi liquid. Here we report the observation of the hydrodynamic plasmon and energy wave in ultraclean graphene.

Charge Transfer Dynamics in MoSe/hBN/WSe Heterostructures.

Ultrafast charge transfer processes provide a facile way to create interlayer excitons in directly contacted transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) layers. More sophisticated heterostructures composed of TMD/hBN/TMD enable new ways to control interlayer exciton properties and achieve novel exciton phenomena, such as exciton insulators and condensates, where longer lifetimes are desired. In this work, we experimentally study the charge transfer dynamics in a heterostructure composed of a 1 nm thick hBN spacer between MoSe and WSe monolayers.

Kirigami Engineering of Suspended Graphene Transducers.

The low mass density and high mechanical strength of graphene make it an attractive candidate for suspended-membrane energy transducers. Typically, the membrane size dictates the operational frequency and bandwidth. However, in many cases it would be desirable to both lower the resonance frequency and increase the bandwidth, while maintaining overall membrane size.

Gate-tunable plasmons in mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures.

Surface plasmons, collective electromagnetic excitations coupled to conduction electron oscillations, enable the manipulation of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. Plasmon dispersion of metallic structures depends sensitively on their dimensionality and has been intensively studied for fundamental physics as well as applied technologies. Here, we report possible evidence for gate-tunable hybrid plasmons from the dimensionally mixed coupling between one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes and two-dimensional (2D) graphene.

Mott and generalized Wigner crystal states in WSe/WS moiré superlattices.

Moiré superlattices can be used to engineer strongly correlated electronic states in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures, as recently demonstrated in the correlated insulating and superconducting states observed in magic-angle twisted-bilayer graphene and ABC trilayer graphene/boron nitride moiré superlattices. Transition metal dichalcogenide moiré heterostructures provide another model system for the study of correlated quantum phenomena because of their strong light-matter interactions and large spin-orbit coupling. However, experimental observation of correlated insulating states in this system is challenging with traditional transport techniques.

Quantum Hall Effect in Electron-Doped Black Phosphorus Field-Effect Transistors.

The advent of black phosphorus field-effect transistors (FETs) has brought new possibilities in the study of two-dimensional (2D) electron systems. In a black phosphorus FET, the gate induces highly anisotropic 2D electron and hole gases. Although the 2D hole gas in black phosphorus has reached high carrier mobilities that led to the observation of the integer quantum Hall effect, the improvement in the sample quality of the 2D electron gas (2DEG) has however been only moderate; quantum Hall effect remained elusive.

Strain-Modulated Bandgap and Piezo-Resistive Effect in Black Phosphorus Field-Effect Transistors.

Energy bandgap largely determines the optical and electronic properties of a semiconductor. Variable bandgap therefore makes versatile functionality possible in a single material. In layered material black phosphorus, the bandgap can be modulated by the number of layers; as a result, few-layer black phosphorus has discrete bandgap values that are relevant for optoelectronic applications in the spectral range from red, in monolayer, to mid-infrared in the bulk limit.

Magnetic quantum phase transition in Cr-doped Bi(SeTe) driven by the Stark effect.

The recent experimental observation of the quantum anomalous Hall effect has cast significant attention on magnetic topological insulators. In these magnetic counterparts of conventional topological insulators such as BiTe, a long-range ferromagnetic state can be established by chemical doping with transition-metal elements. However, a much richer electronic phase diagram can emerge and, in the specific case of Cr-doped Bi(SeTe), a magnetic quantum phase transition tuned by the actual chemical composition has been reported.

Direct observation of the layer-dependent electronic structure in phosphorene.

Phosphorene, a single atomic layer of black phosphorus, has recently emerged as a new two-dimensional (2D) material that holds promise for electronic and photonic technologies. Here we experimentally demonstrate that the electronic structure of few-layer phosphorene varies significantly with the number of layers, in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The interband optical transitions cover a wide, technologically important spectral range from the visible to the mid-infrared.

Thickness Dependence of the Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in Magnetic Topological Insulator Films.

The evolution of the quantum anomalous Hall effect with the thickness of Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)2 Te3 magnetic topological insulator films is studied, revealing how the effect is caused by the interplay of the surface states, band-bending, and ferromagnetic exchange energy. Homogeneity in ferromagnetism is found to be the key to high-temperature quantum anomalous Hall material.

Quantum Hall effect in black phosphorus two-dimensional electron system.

The development of new, high-quality functional materials has been at the forefront of condensed-matter research. The recent advent of two-dimensional black phosphorus has greatly enriched the materials base of two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs). Here, we report the observation of the integer quantum Hall effect in a high-quality black phosphorus 2DES.

Simultaneous electrical-field-effect modulation of both top and bottom Dirac surface states of epitaxial thin films of three-dimensional topological insulators.

It is crucial for the studies of the transport properties and quantum effects related to Dirac surface states of three-dimensional topological insulators (3D TIs) to be able to simultaneously tune the chemical potentials of both top and bottom surfaces of a 3D TI thin film. We have realized this in molecular beam epitaxy-grown thin films of 3D TIs, as well as magnetic 3D TIs, by fabricating dual-gate structures on them. The films could be tuned between n-type and p-type by each gate alone.

Electrically tuned magnetic order and magnetoresistance in a topological insulator.

The interplay between topological protection and broken time reversal symmetry in topological insulators may lead to highly unconventional magnetoresistance behaviour that can find unique applications in magnetic sensing and data storage. However, the magnetoresistance of topological insulators with spontaneously broken time reversal symmetry is still poorly understood. In this work, we investigate the transport properties of a ferromagnetic topological insulator thin film fabricated into a field effect transistor device.

Chemical-potential-dependent gap opening at the Dirac surface states of Bi2Se3 induced by aggregated substitutional Cr atoms.

With angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, gap opening is resolved at up to room temperature in the Dirac surface states of molecular beam epitaxy grown Cr-doped Bi2Se3 topological insulator films, which, however, show no long-range ferromagnetic order down to 1.5 K. The gap size is found decreasing with increasing electron-doping level.

Topology-driven magnetic quantum phase transition in topological insulators.

The breaking of time reversal symmetry in topological insulators may create previously unknown quantum effects. We observed a magnetic quantum phase transition in Cr-doped Bi2(SexTe1-x)3 topological insulator films grown by means of molecular beam epitaxy. Across the critical point, a topological quantum phase transition is revealed through both angle-resolved photoemission measurements and density functional theory calculations.

Experimental observation of the quantum anomalous Hall effect in a magnetic topological insulator.

The quantized version of the anomalous Hall effect has been predicted to occur in magnetic topological insulators, but the experimental realization has been challenging. Here, we report the observation of the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect in thin films of chromium-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3, a magnetic topological insulator. At zero magnetic field, the gate-tuned anomalous Hall resistance reaches the predicted quantized value of h/e(2), accompanied by a considerable drop in the longitudinal resistance.

Thin films of magnetically doped topological insulator with carrier-independent long-range ferromagnetic order.

Thin films of magnetically doped topological insulators Cr(0.22) (Bi(x) Sb(1-x) )(1.78) Te(3) are found to possess carrier-independent long-range ferromagnetic order with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.