Intrinsic 1$${T}^{{\prime} }$$ phase induced in atomically thin 2H-MoTe2 by a single terahertz pulse

Jiaojian Shi; Ya-Qing Bie; Alfred Zong; Shiang Fang; Wei Chen; Jinchi Han; Zhaolong Cao; Yong Zhang; Takashi Taniguchi; Kenji Watanabe; Xuewen Fu; Vladimir Bulović; Efthimios Kaxiras; Edoardo Baldini; Pablo Jarillo-Herrero; Keith A. Nelson

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-41291-w

Article Intrinsic 1$${T}^{{\prime} }$$ phase induced in atomically thin 2H-MoTe2 by a single terahertz pulse

Jiaojian Shi ; Ya-Qing Bie ; Alfred Zong ; Shiang Fang ; Wei Chen ; Jinchi Han ; Zhaolong Cao ; Yong Zhang ; Takashi Taniguchi (National Institute for Materials Science) ; Kenji Watanabe (National Institute for Materials Science) ; Xuewen Fu ; Vladimir Bulović ; Efthimios Kaxiras ; Edoardo Baldini ; Pablo Jarillo-Herrero ; Keith A. Nelson

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Jiaojian Shi, Ya-Qing Bie, Alfred Zong, Shiang Fang, Wei Chen, Jinchi Han, Zhaolong Cao, Yong Zhang, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Xuewen Fu, Vladimir Bulović, Efthimios Kaxiras, Edoardo Baldini, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Keith A. Nelson. Intrinsic 1$${T}^{{\prime} }$$ phase induced in atomically thin 2H-MoTe2 by a single terahertz pulse. Nature Communications. 2023, 14 (1), 5905. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41291-w

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Polymorphic transitions in layered transition metal dichalcogenides provide an excellent platform for discovering exotic phenomena associated with metastable states, ranging from topological phase transitions to enhanced superconductivity. In particular, the transition from 2H to 1T′-MoTe2, which was thought to be induced by high-energy photon irradiation among many other means, has been intensely studied for its technological relevance in nanoscale transistors. Despite the remarkable electrical performance arising from this 2H-to-1T′ transition, it remains controversial whether a crystalline 1T′ phase is produced because optical signatures of this putative transition are found to be associated with the formation of elemental Te clusters instead. Here, we demonstrate the creation of an intrinsic 1T′ lattice after irradiating a mono- or few-layer 2H-MoTe2 with a single field-enhanced terahertz pulse, whose low photon energy limits possible structural damages by optical pulses. To visualize the temporal evolution of this irreversible transition, we further develop a single-shot terahertz pump-second harmonic probe technique, and we find that the transition out of the 2H phase occurs within 10 ns after photoexcitation. Our results not only resolve the long-standing debate over the light-induced polymorphic transition in MoTe2, they also highlight the unique capability of strong-field terahertz pulses in manipulating the structure of quantum materials.

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