Mexican hat-like valence band dispersion and quantum confinement in rhombohedral ferroelectric alpha-In2Se3

Geoffroy Kremer; Aymen Mahmoudi; Meryem Bouaziz; Mehrdad Rahimi; Francois Bertran; Jean-Francois Dayen; Maria Luisa Della Rocca; Marco Pala; Ahmed Naitabdi; Julien Chaste; Fabrice Oehler; Abdelkarim Ouerghi

arXiv · 2509.06488

Mexican hat-like valence band dispersion and quantum confinement in rhombohedral ferroelectric alpha-In2Se3

Geoffroy Kremer·Aymen Mahmoudi·Meryem Bouaziz·Mehrdad Rahimi·Francois Bertran·Jean-Francois Dayen·Maria Luisa Della Rocca·Marco Pala·Ahmed Naitabdi·Julien Chaste·Fabrice Oehler·Abdelkarim Ouerghi

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric (FE) materials offer a large variety of electronic properties depending on chemical composition, number of layers and stacking-order. Among them, alpha-In2Se3 has attracted much attention due to the promise of outstanding electronic properties, attractive quantum physics, in- and out-of-plane ferroelectricity and high photo-response. Precise experimental determination of the electronic structure of rhombohedral (3R) alpha-In2Se3 is needed for a better understanding of potential properties and device applications. Here, combining angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we demonstrate that 3R alpha-In2Se3 phase exhibits a robust inversion of the valence band parabolicity at the Gamma point forming a bow-shaped dispersion with a depth of 140 +- 10 meV between the valence band maximum (VBM) along the GammaK direction of the Brillouin zone (BZ). Moreover, we unveil an indirect band gap of about 1.25 eV, as well as a highly electron doping of approximatively 5.1012 electrons per cmsquare at the surface. This leads to surface band bending and the formation of a prominent electron accumulation layer. These findings allow a deeper understanding of the rhombohedral alpha-In2Se3 electronic properties underlying the potential of III/VI semiconductors for electronic and photonic technologies.

Explore related subjects

cond-mat.mtrl-sci cond-mat.mes-hall

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Geoffroy Kremer, Aymen Mahmoudi, Meryem Bouaziz, Mehrdad Rahimi, Francois Bertran, Jean-Francois Dayen, Maria Luisa Della Rocca, Marco Pala, Ahmed Naitabdi, Julien Chaste, Fabrice Oehler, Abdelkarim Ouerghi. 2025-09-08. Mexican hat-like valence band dispersion and quantum confinement in rhombohedral ferroelectric alpha-In2Se3. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.06488

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Incommensurate structural and magnetic modulations in potassium-rich cryptomelane, K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$)

Cryptomelane is a hollandite-like material consisting of K$^+$ cations in an $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnel-like crystallographic motif. Cryptomelane with stoichiometry K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$) has been synthesized and its magnetic properties investigated using variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and neutron powder diffraction. Three distinct transitions at $T_1=184$\,K, $T_2=54.5$\,K, and $T_3=24$\,K are observed. At $T_1$ there is a subtle tetragonal$\rightarrow$monoclinic transition associated with emergence of a set of non-magnetic superstructure peaks indexable to a $\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}\approx0.74\vec{c^*}$ incommensurate modulation parallel to the $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnels. Our findings are consistent with a relation previously reported in titanate hollandites, that $x\approx2|\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}|$. Magnetic Bragg peaks emerge below $T_2=54.5$\,K, and their positions indicate an incommensurate modulated magnetic structure. The model consistent with the data is a dual-$\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}$ structure with a ferromagnetic $|\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}|=0$ component and an incommensurate $\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}\approx0.37\vec{c^*}$, with the latter most likely to be helical. The period of oscillation of the incommensurate magnetic component is in line with predictions based on a Heisenberg spin Hamiltonian [Mandal \textit{et al}. Phys. Rev. B 90, 104420 (2014)]. Below $T_3=24$\,K, there is a magnetic transition, which gives rise to a different set of magnetic Bragg peaks indicative of a highly complex magnetic structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

An anisotropic functional for two-dimensional material systems

Density function theory is the workhorse of modern electronic structure theory. However, its accuracy in practical calculations is limited by the choice of the exchange-correlation potential. In this respect, two-dimensional materials pose a special challenge, as all these materials and their heterostructures have a crucial similarity. The underlying atomic structures are strongly spatially inhomogeneous, implying that current exchange-correlation functionals, that in almost all cases are isotropic, are ill-prepared for an accurate description. We present an anisotropic screened-exchange potential, that remedies this problem and reproduces the band-gap of 2D materials as well as the piecewise linearity of the total energy with fractional occupation number.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Thermally-driven reorientation of the Néel vector in altermagnetic MnTe

Altermagnets are novel magnetic systems that possess a spin-polarized electronic band structure without a net magnetic moment, making them promising for device applications. Hexagonal MnTe, a prototypical altermagnet, arguably exhibits the most properties consistent with theoretical predictions, including an anomalous Hall effect despite a vanishing net magnetization, and altermagnetinduced electronic band splitting. However, fundamental questions remain, including why some effects only appear significantly below the magnetic ordering temperature. Here, we resolve this discrepancy by revealing a reorientation of the Néel vector in single-crystalline MnTe. The Néel vector points 30° from the a-axis at low $T$, before aligning directly with the a-axis around $T\simeq 260$ K. We attribute this to single-ion anisotropy, which depends on temperature-dependent lattice parameters. We obtained these results using muon-spin spectroscopy, magnetization measurements, and X-ray diffraction; we show that the findings are consistent with neutron diffraction. Manipulating this effect, for example through strain, could unlock sensitive electronic detection schemes for external stimuli, paving the way for functional altermagnetic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗