Fractional Dimensional Approach to Dielectric Tuning Effects on Excitonic Parameters in 2D semiconductor materials

Abstract

We demonstrated the potential of the fractional dimensional approach to understand exciton parameters in the exemplary atomically thin semiconductor material, a monolayer of WS$_2$. This approach has proved to be successful in finding the exciton binding energy and quasiparticle bandgap for the WS$_2$ monolayer in varying dielectric environments. A tuning of the quasiparticle bandgap and binding energy by 141 meV and 188 meV, respectively, has been achieved by varying the dielectric of the environment from 1.52 to 8.1. The approach is justified by comparing the changes in the binding energy with the computational results from the Quantum Electrostatic Heterostructures model. The fractional dimension found through the excitonic Rydberg series is close to 2.8 for WS$_2$ monolayer in all different dielectric surroundings. Thus, this approach provides a rapid and robust method for determining the binding energy of excitons in 2D semiconductors independent of the particular dielectric environment.