arXiv subjects

Yu Jie Zheng

Publications and source records attributed to Yu Jie Zheng.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Evidence of Spin Frustration in Vanadium Diselenide Monolayer Magnet

Monolayer VSe2, featuring both charge density wave and magnetism phenomena, represents a unique van der Waals magnet in the family of metallic two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs). Herein, by means of in-situ microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, including scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, synchrotron X-ray and angle-resolved photoemission, and X-ray absorption, direct spectroscopic signatures are established, that identify the metallic 1T-phase and vanadium 3d1 electronic configuration in monolayer VSe2 grown on graphite by molecular-beam epitaxy. Element-specific X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, complemented with magnetic susceptibility measurements, further reveals monolayer VSe2 as a frustrated magnet, with its spins exhibiting subtle correlations, albeit in the absence of a long-range magnetic order down to 2 K and up to a 7 T magnetic field. This observation is attributed to the relative stability of the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic ground states, arising from its atomic-scale structural features, such as rotational disorders and edges. The results of this study extend the current understanding of metallic 2D-TMDs in the search for exotic low-dimensional quantum phenomena, and stimulate further theoretical and experimental studies on van der Waals monolayer magnets.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Point Defects and Localized Excitons in 2D WSe2

Identifying the point defects in 2D materials is important for many applications. Recent studies have proposed that W vacancies are the predominant point defect in 2D WSe2, in contrast to theoretical studies, which predict that chalcogen vacancies are the most likely intrinsic point defects in transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors. We show using first principles calculations, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy experiments, that W vacancies are not present in our CVD-grown 2D WSe2. We predict that O-passivated Se vacancies (O_Se) and O interstitials (Oins) are present in 2D WSe2, because of facile O2 dissociation at Se vacancies, or due to the presence of WO3 precursors in CVD growth. These defects give STM images in good agreement with experiment. The optical properties of point defects in 2D WSe2 are important because single photon emission (SPE) from 2D WSe2 has been observed experimentally. While strain gradients funnel the exciton in real space, point defects are necessary for the localization of the exciton at length scales that enable photons to be emitted one at a time. Using state-of-the-art GW-Bethe-Salpeter-equation calculations, we predict that only Oins defects give localized excitons within the energy range of SPE in previous experiments, making them a likely source of previously observed SPE. No other point defects (O_Se, Se vacancies, W vacancies and Se_W antisites) give localized excitons in the same energy range. Our predictions suggest ways to realize SPE in related 2D materials and point experimentalists toward other energy ranges for SPE in 2D WSe2.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

First Principles Study of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Point Defects in Monolayer WSe2

We present a detailed first principles density functional theory study of intrinsic and extrinsic point defects in monolayer (ML) WSe2. Among the intrinsic point defects, Se vacancies (Sevac) have the lowest formation energy (disregarding Se adatoms that can be removed with annealing). The defects with the next smallest formation energies (at least 1 eV larger) are SeW (Se substituting W atoms in an antisite defect), Wvac (W vacancies) and 2Sevac (Se divacancies). All these intrinsic defects have gap states that are not spin-polarized. The presence of a graphite substrate does not change the formation energies of these defects significantly. For the extrinsic point defects, we focus on O, O2, H, H2 and C interacting with perfect WSe2 and its intrinsic point defects. The preferred binding site in perfect WSe2 is the interstitial site for atomic O, H and C. These interstitial defects have no gap states. The gap states of the intrinsic defects are modified by interaction with O, O2, H, H2 and C. In particular, the gap states of Sevac and 2Sevac are completely removed by interaction with O and O2. This is consistent with the significantly larger stability of O-related defects compared to H- and C-related defects. The preferred binding site for O is Sevac, while that for H is SeW. H bonded to SeW results in spin-polarized gap states, which may be useful in defect engineering for spintronics applications. The charge transition levels and ionization energies of these defects are also computed. H in the interstitial site is an effective donor, while all the other defects are deep donors or acceptors in isolated WSe2 ML.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Liquid-solid surface phase transformation of fluorinated fullerene on monolayer tungsten diselenide

Hybrid van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures constructed by the integration of organic molecules and two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials have useful tunable properties for flexible electronic devices. Due to the chemically inert and atomically smooth nature of the TMD surface, well-defined crystalline organic films form atomically sharp interfaces facilitating optimal device performance. Here, the surface phase transformation of the supramolecular packing structure of fluorinated fullerene (C60F48) on single-layer (SL) tungsten diselenide (WSe2) is revealed by low-temperature (LT) scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), from thermally stable liquid to solid phases as the coverage increases. Statistical analysis of the intermolecular interaction potential reveals that the repulsive dipole-dipole interaction induced by interfacial charge transfer and substrate-mediated interactions play important roles in stabilizing the liquid C60F48 phases. Theoretical calculations further suggest that the dipole moment per C60F48 molecule varies with the surface molecule density, and the liquid-solid transformation could be understood from the perspective of the thermodynamic free energy for open systems. This study offers new insights into the growth behaviour at 2D organic/TMD hybrid heterointerfaces.

physics.app-ph↗