Coupling of electronic transition to ferroelectric order in a 2D semiconductor

Chun-Ying Huang, Daniel G. Chica, Zhi-Hao Cui, Taketo Handa, Morgan Thinel, Nicholas Olsen, Yufeng Liu, Michael E. Ziebel, Guiying He, Yinming Shao, Connor A. Occhialini, Jonathan Pelliciari, Dmitri N. Basov, Matthew Sfeir, Abhay Pasupathy, Valentina Bisogni, David R. Reichman (), Xavier Roy () and Xiaoyang Zhu ()
Additional contact information
Chun-Ying Huang: Columbia University
Daniel G. Chica: Columbia University
Zhi-Hao Cui: Columbia University
Taketo Handa: Columbia University
Morgan Thinel: Columbia University
Nicholas Olsen: Columbia University
Yufeng Liu: Columbia University
Michael E. Ziebel: Columbia University
Guiying He: City University of New York
Yinming Shao: Columbia University
Connor A. Occhialini: Columbia University
Jonathan Pelliciari: Brookhaven National Laboratory
Dmitri N. Basov: Columbia University
Matthew Sfeir: City University of New York
Abhay Pasupathy: Columbia University
Valentina Bisogni: Brookhaven National Laboratory
David R. Reichman: Columbia University
Xavier Roy: Columbia University
Xiaoyang Zhu: Columbia University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract A ferroelectric material often exhibits a soft transverse optical (TO) phonon mode which governs its phase transition. Charge coupling to this ferroelectric soft mode may further mediate emergent physical properties, including superconductivity and defect tolerance in semiconductors. However, direct experimental evidence for such coupling is scarce. Here we show that a photogenerated coherent phonon couples strongly to the electronic transition above the bandgap in the van der Waals (vdW) two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric semiconductor NbOI2. Using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and first-principles calculations, we identify this mode as the TO phonon responsible for ferroelectric order. This exclusive coupling occurs only with the above-gap electronic transition and is absent in the valence band as revealed by resonant inelastic X-ray scattering. Our findings suggest a new role of the soft TO phonon mode in electronic and optical properties of ferroelectric semiconductors.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57061-9

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