Robust super-moiré in large-angle single twist bilayers

ORAL

Abstract

Forming long wavelength moiré superlattices (MSL) at small-angle twist van der Waals (vdW) bilayers has been a key approach to creating moiré flat bands. The small-angle twist, however, leads to strong lattice reconstruction, causing domain walls and moiré disorders, which pose considerable challenges in engineering such platforms. At large twist angles, the rigid lattices render a more robust, but shorter wavelength MSL, making it difficult to engineer flat bands. Here, we depict a novel approach to tailoring robust super-moiré structures that combines the advantages of both small-twist and large-twist transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) bilayers using only a single twist angle near a commensurate angle. Structurally, we unveil the spontaneous formation of a periodic arrangement of three inequivalent commensurate moiré stacking, where the angle deviation from the commensurate angle can tune the periodicity. Electronically, we reveal phase alternating quasiparticle interference texture and a large set of van Hove singularities that indicate strong band hybridization, leading to flat bands near the valence band maximum. Our study paves the way for a new platform of robust super-moiré bilayers with structural rigidity and controllable wavelength, extending the investigation of the interplay among band topology, quantum geometry, and moiré superconductivity to the large twist angle regime.

*Y.L., F.Z., H.K. and C.-K.S. are supported by the NSF through the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials: an NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center under cooperative agreement no. DMR-2308817, the US Air Force grant no. FA2386-21-1-4061, NSF grant nos. DMR-1808751 and DMR-2219610, and the Welch Foundation F-2164. C.S. and Y.H. acknowledge the support from NSF grant no. CMMI-2239545 and the Welch Foundation C-2065. V.-A.H. and F.G. were supported by the Welch Foundation under Grant No. F-2139-20230405. X. Liu and X. Li were partially supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under grant DE-SC0019398 for device fabrication and the Welch Foundation chair F-0014 for sample preparation. C. D. and J. A. R. were supported by the Penn State Center for Nanoscale Science (NSF grant no. DMR-2011839) and the Penn State 2DCC-MIP (NSF grant no. DMR-1539916). Y.-C.L. acknowledges the support from the Center for Emergent Functional Matter Science (CEFMS) of NYCU and the Yushan Young Scholar Program from the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. L.N.H, M.H, J.H, and K.B are supported by NSF MRSEC program at Columbia through the Center for Precision-Assembled Quantum Materials, NSF grant no. DMR-2011738. Y.X., Q.G., and E.K. are supported by the NSF through the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials: an NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center under cooperative agreement no. DMR-2308817.

Presenters

  • Yanxing Li

    • University of Texas at Austin

Authors

  • Yanxing Li

    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Chuqiao Shi

    • Rice University
  • Fan Zhang

    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Xiaohui Liu

    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Yuan Xue

    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Viet-Anh Ha

    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Qiang Gao

    • Harvard University
    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Chengye Dong

    • The Pennsylvania State University
    • Penn State University
    • Pennsylvania State University
  • Yu-Chuan Lin

    • The Pennsylvania State University
    • National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
  • Luke N Holtzman

    • Columbia University
  • Nicolás Morales-Durán

    • Flatiron Institute
  • Hyunsue Kim

    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Yi Jiang

    • Argonne National Laboratory
  • Madisen A Holbrook

    • Columbia University
  • James C Hone

    • Columbia University
  • Katayun Barmak

    • Columbia University
  • Joshua A Robinson

    • The Pennsylvania State University
    • Pennsylvania State University
  • Xiaoqin Elaine Li

    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Feliciano Giustino

    • University of Texas at Austin
  • Eslam Khalaf

    • Harvard University
  • Yimo Han

    • Rice University
  • Chih-Kang Shih

    • University of Texas at Austin