Tuning flat bands by interlayer interaction, spin-orbital coupling, and external fields in twisted homotrilayer MoS$_2$

TL;DR

This study investigates how interlayer interaction, spin-orbital coupling, and external fields can tune the flat electronic bands in twisted trilayer MoS₂, revealing potential for exploring strong correlations and novel optical and magnetic phenomena.

Contribution

It provides an accurate tight-binding model for twisted trilayer MoS₂ and demonstrates how various factors influence its flat band electronic structures and spin-valley-layer locking effects.

Findings

Flat bands depend on stacking arrangements.

Lattice relaxation and external fields significantly tune electronic structures.

Spin-orbital coupling induces spin-valley-layer locking.

Abstract

Ultraflat bands have already been detected in twisted bilayer graphene and twisted bilayer transition-metal dichalcogenides, which provide a platform to investigate strong correlations. In this paper, the electronic properties of twisted trilayer molybdenum disulfide (TTM) are investigated via an accurate tight-binding Hamiltonian. We find that the highest valence bands are derived from the $\Gamma$-point of the constituent monolayer, and they exhibit a graphenelike dispersion or become isolated flat bands that are dependent on the starting stacking arrangements. The lattice relaxation, local deformation, and external fields can significantly tune the electronic structures of TTM. After introducing the spin-orbital coupling effect, we find a spin-valley-layer locking effect at the minimum of the conduction band at the $K$- and $K^\prime$-point of the Brillouin zone, which may provide a platform to study optical properties and magnetoelectric effects.