Resonant absorption and linear photovoltaic effect in ferroelectric moir\'e heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper explores how twisted ferroelectric bilayers in van der Waals heterostructures influence electronic and optoelectronic properties, revealing resonant absorption and photovoltaic effects driven by moiré superlattice potentials.

Contribution

It introduces the impact of ferroelectric moiré superlattices on mini-band structures and nonlinear optical responses in graphene-based heterostructures, highlighting the role of van Hove singularities.

Findings

Doping affects mini-band structures via screening.

Van Hove singularities modify optical responses.

Resonant absorption and shift photocurrent observed.

Abstract

Twisted bilayers, featuring interfacial ferroelectricity in the form of array of polar domains, combined with incommensurate two-dimensional layers in a single van der Waals heterostructures allows for generation of purely electrostatic moir\'e superlattice potentials in the latter. We study electronic and optoelectronic properties of such heterostructures composed of graphene stacked with the twisted ferroelectric bilayers and show that doping of graphene substantially affects mini-band structures because of screening of free carriers. We demonstrate that formation of van Hove singularities in density of states modifies linear and second-order responses of the structures leading to resonant absorption and linear photovoltaic effect, respectively. The latter is generated solely by a shift photocurrent, arising only with account of virtual optical transitions, whereas an injection photocurrent is forbidden by symmetry.