Interband absorption in single layer hexagonal boron nitride

TL;DR

This paper calculates the interband absorption spectrum of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride, revealing a monotonically decreasing absorption with photon energy, highlighting its potential for deep-UV optoelectronic applications.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed calculation of light absorption in single-layer h-BN using a tight-binding model, emphasizing its energy-dependent optical properties.

Findings

Absorption decreases monotonically with photon energy.

Contrast with graphene's energy-independent absorption.

Supports h-BN's suitability for deep-UV optoelectronic devices.

Abstract

Monolayer of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), commonly known as "white graphene" is a promising wide bandgap semiconducting material for deep-ultaviolet optoelectronic devices. In this report, the light absorption of a single layer hexagonal boron nitride is calculated using a tight-binding Hamiltonian. The absorption is found to be monotonically decreasing function of photon energy compared to graphene where absorption coefficient is independent of photon energy and characterized by the effective fine-structure constant.