Energy shifts and broadening of excitonic resonances in electrostatically-doped semiconductors

Abstract

Tuning the density of resident electrons or holes in semiconductors provides crucial insight into the composition of excitonic complexes that are observed as absorption or photoluminescence resonances in optical studies. Moreover, we can change the way these resonances shift and broaden in energy by controlling the quantum numbers of the resident carriers with magnetic fields and doping levels, and by selecting the quantum numbers of the photoexcited or recombining electron-hole (e-h) pair through optical polarization. We discuss the roles of distinguishability and optimality of excitonic complexes, showing them to be key ingredients that determine the energy shifts and broadening of optical resonances in charge-tunable semiconductors. A distinguishable e-h pair means that the electron and hole undergoing photoexcitation or recombination have quantum numbers that are not shared by any of the resident carriers. An optimal excitonic complex refers to a complex whose particles come with all available quantum numbers of the resident carriers. All optical resonances may be classified as either distinct or indistinct depending on the distinguishability of the e-h pair, and the underlying excitonic complex can be classified as either optimal or suboptimal. The universality of these classifications, inherited from the fundamental Pauli exclusion principle, allows us to understand how optical resonances shift in energy and whether they should broaden as doping is increased. This understanding is supported by conclusive evidence that the decay of optical resonances cannot be simply attributed to enhanced screening when resident carriers are added to a semiconductor. Finally, applying the classification scheme in either monolayer or moire heterobilayer systems, we relate the energy shift and amplitude of the neutral exciton resonance to the compressibility of the resident carrier gas.