Direct probing of phonon mode specific electron-phonon scatterings in two-dimensional semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides: Symmetry and Berry phase

TL;DR

This study directly probes phonon-specific electron-phonon interactions in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, revealing how phonon modes, symmetry, and Berry phase influence charge transport and scattering processes.

Contribution

It provides the first combined experimental and theoretical analysis of phonon mode-specific electron-phonon scatterings, including two-phonon processes, in layered TMDs.

Findings

Identification of key phonon modes involved in electron-phonon scattering.

Observation of layer-dependent symmetry and Berry phase effects on two-phonon processes.

Confirmation of universal two-phonon inelastic tunneling in all studied materials.

Abstract

Electron-phonon scatterings in solid-state systems are pivotal processes in determining many key physical quantities such as charge carrier mobilities and thermal conductivities. Here, we report on the direct probing of phonon mode specific electron-phonon scatterings in layered semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides WSe2, MoSe2, WS2, and MoS2 through inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy measurements, quantum transport simulations, and density functional calculation. We experimentally and theoretically characterize momentum-conserving single- and two-phonon electron-phonon scatterings involving up to as many as eight individual phonon modes in mono- and bilayer films, among which transverse, longitudinal acoustic and optical, and flexural optical phonons play significant roles in quantum charge flows. Moreover, we observe that two-phonon inelastic electron tunneling processes, which are confirmed to be generic in all four semiconducting layers, are governed by layer-number dependent symmetry, quantum interference, and geometric Berry phase.