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Mott and generalized Wigner crystal states in WSe2/WS2 moiré superlattices

Author

Listed:
  • Emma C. Regan

    (University of California at Berkeley
    University of California at Berkeley
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • Danqing Wang

    (University of California at Berkeley
    University of California at Berkeley
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • Chenhao Jin

    (University of California at Berkeley
    Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science)

  • M. Iqbal Bakti Utama

    (University of California at Berkeley
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    University of California at Berkeley)

  • Beini Gao

    (University of California at Berkeley
    Huazhong University of Science and Technology)

  • Xin Wei

    (University of California at Berkeley
    University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Sihan Zhao

    (University of California at Berkeley)

  • Wenyu Zhao

    (University of California at Berkeley)

  • Zuocheng Zhang

    (University of California at Berkeley)

  • Kentaro Yumigeta

    (Arizona State University)

  • Mark Blei

    (Arizona State University)

  • Johan D. Carlström

    (University of California at Berkeley
    Lund University)

  • Kenji Watanabe

    (National Institute for Materials Science)

  • Takashi Taniguchi

    (National Institute for Materials Science)

  • Sefaattin Tongay

    (Arizona State University)

  • Michael Crommie

    (University of California at Berkeley
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at University of California Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • Alex Zettl

    (University of California at Berkeley
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at University of California Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • Feng Wang

    (University of California at Berkeley
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at University of California Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

Abstract

Moiré superlattices can be used to engineer strongly correlated electronic states in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures, as recently demonstrated in the correlated insulating and superconducting states observed in magic-angle twisted-bilayer graphene and ABC trilayer graphene/boron nitride moiré superlattices1–4. Transition metal dichalcogenide moiré heterostructures provide another model system for the study of correlated quantum phenomena5 because of their strong light–matter interactions and large spin–orbit coupling. However, experimental observation of correlated insulating states in this system is challenging with traditional transport techniques. Here we report the optical detection of strongly correlated phases in semiconducting WSe2/WS2 moiré superlattices. We use a sensitive optical detection technique and reveal a Mott insulator state at one hole per superlattice site and surprising insulating phases at 1/3 and 2/3 filling of the superlattice, which we assign to generalized Wigner crystallization on the underlying lattice6–11. Furthermore, the spin–valley optical selection rules12–14 of transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures allow us to optically create and investigate low-energy excited spin states in the Mott insulator. We measure a very long spin relaxation lifetime of many microseconds in the Mott insulating state, orders of magnitude longer than that of charge excitations. Our studies highlight the value of using moiré superlattices beyond graphene to explore correlated physics.

Suggested Citation

  • Emma C. Regan & Danqing Wang & Chenhao Jin & M. Iqbal Bakti Utama & Beini Gao & Xin Wei & Sihan Zhao & Wenyu Zhao & Zuocheng Zhang & Kentaro Yumigeta & Mark Blei & Johan D. Carlström & Kenji Watanabe , 2020. "Mott and generalized Wigner crystal states in WSe2/WS2 moiré superlattices," Nature, Nature, vol. 579(7799), pages 359-363, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:579:y:2020:i:7799:d:10.1038_s41586-020-2092-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2092-4
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ruishi Qi & Andrew Y. Joe & Zuocheng Zhang & Yongxin Zeng & Tiancheng Zheng & Qixin Feng & Jingxu Xie & Emma Regan & Zheyu Lu & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Sefaattin Tongay & Michael F. Cromm, 2023. "Thermodynamic behavior of correlated electron-hole fluids in van der Waals heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Madeline Winkle & Isaac M. Craig & Stephen Carr & Medha Dandu & Karen C. Bustillo & Jim Ciston & Colin Ophus & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Archana Raja & Sinéad M. Griffin & D. Kwabena Bediak, 2023. "Rotational and dilational reconstruction in transition metal dichalcogenide moiré bilayers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Jinjae Kim & Jiwon Park & Hyojin Choi & Taeho Kim & Soonyoung Cha & Yewon Lee & Kenji Watanabe & Takashi Taniguchi & Jonghwan Kim & Moon-Ho Jo & Hyunyong Choi, 2024. "Correlation-driven nonequilibrium exciton site transition in a WSe2/WS2 moiré supercell," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. James G. McHugh & Xue Li & Isaac Soltero & Vladimir I. Fal’ko, 2024. "Two-dimensional electrons at mirror and twistronic twin boundaries in van der Waals ferroelectrics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    5. Michael Matty & Eun-Ah Kim, 2022. "Melting of generalized Wigner crystals in transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayer Moiré systems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    6. Richen Xiong & Samuel L. Brantly & Kaixiang Su & Jacob H. Nie & Zihan Zhang & Rounak Banerjee & Hayley Ruddick & Kenji Watanabe & Takashi Taniguchi & Seth Ariel Tongay & Cenke Xu & Chenhao Jin, 2024. "Tunable exciton valley-pseudospin orders in moiré superlattices," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Elena Blundo & Federico Tuzi & Salvatore Cianci & Marzia Cuccu & Katarzyna Olkowska-Pucko & Łucja Kipczak & Giorgio Contestabile & Antonio Miriametro & Marco Felici & Giorgio Pettinari & Takashi Tanig, 2024. "Localisation-to-delocalisation transition of moiré excitons in WSe2/MoSe2 heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    8. Yu-Bo Liu & Jing Zhou & Congjun Wu & Fan Yang, 2023. "Charge-4e superconductivity and chiral metal in 45°-twisted bilayer cuprates and related bilayers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    9. Søren Ulstrup & Yann in ’t Veld & Jill A. Miwa & Alfred J. H. Jones & Kathleen M. McCreary & Jeremy T. Robinson & Berend T. Jonker & Simranjeet Singh & Roland J. Koch & Eli Rotenberg & Aaron Bostwick , 2024. "Observation of interlayer plasmon polaron in graphene/WS2 heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    10. Meng Zhao & Zhongjie Wang & Lu Liu & Chunzheng Wang & Cheng-Yen Liu & Fang Yang & Hua Wu & Chunlei Gao, 2024. "Atomic-scale visualization of the interlayer Rydberg exciton complex in moiré heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Trithep Devakul & Valentin Crépel & Yang Zhang & Liang Fu, 2021. "Magic in twisted transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    12. Hongbing Cai & Abdullah Rasmita & Qinghai Tan & Jia-Min Lai & Ruihua He & Xiangbin Cai & Yan Zhao & Disheng Chen & Naizhou Wang & Zhao Mu & Zumeng Huang & Zhaowei Zhang & John J. H. Eng & Yuanda Liu &, 2023. "Interlayer donor-acceptor pair excitons in MoSe2/WSe2 moiré heterobilayer," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    13. Beini Gao & Daniel G. Suárez-Forero & Supratik Sarkar & Tsung-Sheng Huang & Deric Session & Mahmoud Jalali Mehrabad & Ruihao Ni & Ming Xie & Pranshoo Upadhyay & Jonathan Vannucci & Sunil Mittal & Kenj, 2024. "Excitonic Mott insulator in a Bose-Fermi-Hubbard system of moiré WS2/WSe2 heterobilayer," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    14. Lebing Chen & Xiaokun Teng & Hengxin Tan & Barry L. Winn & Garrett E. Granroth & Feng Ye & D. H. Yu & R. A. Mole & Bin Gao & Binghai Yan & Ming Yi & Pengcheng Dai, 2024. "Competing itinerant and local spin interactions in kagome metal FeGe," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    15. Zhen Lian & Dongxue Chen & Yuze Meng & Xiaotong Chen & Ying Su & Rounak Banerjee & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Sefaattin Tongay & Chuanwei Zhang & Yong-Tao Cui & Su-Fei Shi, 2023. "Exciton Superposition across Moiré States in a Semiconducting Moiré Superlattice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    16. Zhen Lian & Dongxue Chen & Lei Ma & Yuze Meng & Ying Su & Li Yan & Xiong Huang & Qiran Wu & Xinyue Chen & Mark Blei & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Sefaattin Tongay & Chuanwei Zhang & Yong-Tao , 2023. "Quadrupolar excitons and hybridized interlayer Mott insulator in a trilayer moiré superlattice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    17. Junxiong Hu & Junyou Tan & Mohammed M. Al Ezzi & Udvas Chattopadhyay & Jian Gou & Yuntian Zheng & Zihao Wang & Jiayu Chen & Reshmi Thottathil & Jiangbo Luo & Kenji Watanabe & Takashi Taniguchi & Andre, 2023. "Controlled alignment of supermoiré lattice in double-aligned graphene heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    18. Yanhao Tang & Jie Gu & Song Liu & Kenji Watanabe & Takashi Taniguchi & James C. Hone & Kin Fai Mak & Jie Shan, 2022. "Dielectric catastrophe at the Wigner-Mott transition in a moiré superlattice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.

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