Valley relaxation of resident electrons and holes in a monolayer semiconductor: Dependence on carrier density and the role of substrate-induced disorder
Abstract
Using time-resolved optical Kerr rotation, here we measure the low-temperature valley dynamics of resident electrons and holes in exfoliated monolayers as a systematic function of carrier density. In an effort to reconcile the many disparate timescales of carrier valley dynamics in monolayer semiconductors reported to date, we directly compare the doping-dependent valley relaxation in two electrostatically gated monolayers having different dielectric environments. In a fully encapsulated structure ( , where hBN is hexagonal boron nitride), valley relaxation is found to be monoexponential. The valley relaxation time is quite long at low carrier densities, but decreases rapidly to less than 100 ns at high electron or hole densities . In contrast, in a partially encapsulated monolayer placed directly on silicon dioxide , carrier valley relaxation is multiexponential at low carrier densities. The difference is attributed to environmental disorder from the substrate. Unexpectedly, very small out-of-plane magnetic fields can increase , especially in the structure, suggesting that localized states induced by disorder can play an important role in depolarizing spins and mediating the valley relaxation of resident carriers in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors.
- Authors:
-
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). National High Magnetic Field Lab. (MagLab)
- Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1804434
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-21-20744
Journal ID: ISSN 2475-9953; TRN: US2212666
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001; SC0020653; DMR-1644779; DMR-1955889; CMMI-1933214; 1904716; 1935994; DMR-1552220
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Materials
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 5; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 2475-9953
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; high magnetic field science; valleytronics; transition-metal dichalcogenide; two-dimensional electron system
Citation Formats
Li, Jing, Goryca, M., Yumigeta, K., Li, H., Tongay, S., and Crooker, Scott A. Valley relaxation of resident electrons and holes in a monolayer semiconductor: Dependence on carrier density and the role of substrate-induced disorder. United States: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1103/physrevmaterials.5.044001.
Li, Jing, Goryca, M., Yumigeta, K., Li, H., Tongay, S., & Crooker, Scott A. Valley relaxation of resident electrons and holes in a monolayer semiconductor: Dependence on carrier density and the role of substrate-induced disorder. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevmaterials.5.044001
Li, Jing, Goryca, M., Yumigeta, K., Li, H., Tongay, S., and Crooker, Scott A. Mon .
"Valley relaxation of resident electrons and holes in a monolayer semiconductor: Dependence on carrier density and the role of substrate-induced disorder". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevmaterials.5.044001. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1804434.
@article{osti_1804434,
title = {Valley relaxation of resident electrons and holes in a monolayer semiconductor: Dependence on carrier density and the role of substrate-induced disorder},
author = {Li, Jing and Goryca, M. and Yumigeta, K. and Li, H. and Tongay, S. and Crooker, Scott A.},
abstractNote = {Using time-resolved optical Kerr rotation, here we measure the low-temperature valley dynamics of resident electrons and holes in exfoliated WSe2 monolayers as a systematic function of carrier density. In an effort to reconcile the many disparate timescales of carrier valley dynamics in monolayer semiconductors reported to date, we directly compare the doping-dependent valley relaxation in two electrostatically gated WSe2 monolayers having different dielectric environments. In a fully encapsulated structure (hBN/WSe2/hBN, where hBN is hexagonal boron nitride), valley relaxation is found to be monoexponential. The valley relaxation time τv is quite long (~10μs) at low carrier densities, but decreases rapidly to less than 100 ns at high electron or hole densities ≳2×1012cm–2. In contrast, in a partially encapsulated WSe2 monolayer placed directly on silicon dioxide (hBN/WSe2/SiO2), carrier valley relaxation is multiexponential at low carrier densities. The difference is attributed to environmental disorder from the SiO2 substrate. Unexpectedly, very small out-of-plane magnetic fields can increase τv, especially in the hBN/WSe2/SiO2 structure, suggesting that localized states induced by disorder can play an important role in depolarizing spins and mediating the valley relaxation of resident carriers in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors.},
doi = {10.1103/physrevmaterials.5.044001},
journal = {Physical Review Materials},
number = 4,
volume = 5,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Mon Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Valley polarization fluctuations, bistability, and switching in two-dimensional semiconductors
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