Investigations of Electron-Electron and Interlayer Electron-Phonon Coupling in van der Waals hBN/WSe₂/hBN Heterostructures by Photoluminescence Excitation Experiments

• Main Authors: Joanna Jadczak, Joanna Kutrowska-Girzycka, Janina J. Schindler, Joerg Debus, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Ching-Hwa Ho, Leszek Bryja
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: transition metal dichalcogenides monolayer; van der Waals heterostructures; photoluminescence excitation; reflectivity; Raman scattering
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/2/399

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with their unique physical properties are very promising for future applications in novel electronic devices. In TMDs monolayers, strong and opposite spin splittings of the energy gaps at the K points allow for exciting carriers with various combinations of valley and spin indices using circularly polarized light, which can further be used in spintronics and valleytronics. The physical properties of van der Waals heterostructures composed of TMDs monolayers and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) layers significantly depend on different kinds of interactions. Here, we report on observing both a strong increase in the emission intensity as well as a preservation of the helicity of the excitation light in the emission from hBN/WSe₂/hBN heterostructures related to interlayer electron-phonon coupling. In combined low-temperature (<i>T</i> = 7 K) reflectivity contrast and photoluminescence excitation experiments, we find that the increase in the emission intensity is attributed to a double resonance, where the laser excitation and the combined Raman mode A′₁ (WSe₂) + ZO (hBN) are in resonance with the excited (2s) and ground (1s) states of the A exciton in a WSe₂ monolayer. In reference to the 2s state, our interpretation is in contrast with previous reports, in which this state has been attributed to the hybrid exciton state existing only in the hBN-encapsulated WSe₂ monolayer. Moreover, we observe that the electron-phonon coupling also enhances the helicity preservation of the exciting light in the emission of all observed excitonic complexes. The highest helicity preservation of more than 60% is obtained in the emission of the neutral biexciton and negatively charged exciton (trion) in its triplet state. Additionally, to the best of our knowledge, the strongly intensified emission of the neutral biexciton XX⁰ at double resonance condition is observed for the first time.