Transient photoconductivity and free carrier dynamics in a monolayer WS2 probed by time resolved Terahertz spectroscopy

High-performance terahertz modulators induced by substrate field in Te-based all-2D heterojunctions

High-performance active terahertz modulators as the indispensable core components are of great importance for the next generation communication technology. However, they currently suffer from the tradeoff between modulation depth and speed. Here, we introduce two-dimensional (2D) tellurium (Te) nanofilms with the unique structure as a new class of optically controlled terahertz modulators and demonstrate their integrated heterojunctions can successfully improve the device performances to the optimal and applicable levels among the existing all-2D broadband modulators. Further photoresponse measurements confirm the significant impact of the stacking order. We first clarify the direction of the substrate-induced electric field through first-principles calculations and uncover the unusual interaction mechanism in the photoexcited carrier dynamics associated with the charge transfer and interlayer exciton recombination. This advances the fundamental and applicative research of Te nanomaterials in high-performance terahertz optoelectronics.

Spontaneous exciton dissociation in transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers

Since the seminal work on MoS2, photoexcitation in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) has been assumed to result in excitons, with binding energies order of magnitude larger than thermal energy at room temperature. Here, we reexamine this foundational assumption and show that photoexcitation of TMDC monolayers can result in a substantial population of free charges. Performing ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy on large-area, single-crystal TMDC monolayers, we find that up to ~10% of excitons spontaneously dissociate into charge carriers with lifetimes exceeding 0.2 ns. Scanning tunneling microscopy reveals that photocarrier generation is intimately related to mid-gap defects, likely via trap-mediated Auger scattering. Only in state-of-the-art quality monolayers, with mid-gap trap densities as low as 109 cm-2, does intrinsic exciton physics start to dominate the terahertz response. Our findings reveal the necessity of knowing the defect density in understanding photophysics of TMDCs.

Optically Controlling Broadband Terahertz Modulator Based on Layer-Dependent PtSe2 Nanofilms

In this paper, we propose an optically controlling broadband terahertz modulator of a layer-dependent PtSe₂ nanofilm based on a high-resistance silicon substrate. Through optical pump and terahertz probe system, the results show that compared with 6-, 10-, and 20-layer films, a 3-layer PtSe₂ nanofilm has better surface photoconductivity in the terahertz band and has a higher plasma frequency ω_p of 0.23 THz and a lower scattering time τ_s of 70 fs by Drude-Smith fitting. By the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system, the broadband amplitude modulation of a 3-layer PtSe₂ film in the range of 0.1-1.6 THz was obtained, and the modulation depth reached 50.9% at a pump density of 2.5 W/cm². This work proves that PtSe₂ nanofilm devices are suitable for terahertz modulators.

The Drude-Smith Equation and Related Equations for the Frequency-Dependent Electrical Conductivity of Materials: Insight from a Memory Function Formalism

The Drude‐Smith equation is widely used for treating the frequency‐dependent electrical conductivity of materials in the terahertz region. An attractive feature is its sparsity of adjustable parameters. A significant improvement over Drude theory for these materials, the theory includes backscattering of the charge carriers. It has nevertheless been criticized, including by Smith himself, because of the arbitrariness of a step in the derivation. We recall a somewhat similar behavior of back scattering in fluids observed in molecular dynamics computations and discussed in terms of memory functions. We show how theories such as Drude‐Smith and Cocker et al. are examples of a broader class of theories by showing how they also arise as particular cases of a memory function formalism that divides the interactions into short and long range.