Multistate ferroelectricity and switchable layer-locked anomalous valley Hall effects in bilayer ReIrGe2Se6

Abstract

Two-dimensional multiferroic materials, which combine magnetic and ferroelectric (FE) orders with strong magnetoelectric coupling, represent ideal platforms for high-density information storage and low-power multistate electronics. However, the intrinsic bistability of conventional ferroelectricity poses a substantial challenge to realizing multiple nonvolatile states and programmable Berry-curvature driven transport responses within a single material. Here, using first-principles calculations, we predict multistate ferroelectricity in AA0-stacked bilayer ReIrGe2Se6. The system hosts four energetically stable FE polarization configurations, among which three are connected through reversible switching pathways, while the fourth exhibits a unidirectional switching pathway. The distinct FE configurations further give rise to a cyclic semiconductor-metal-semiconductor evolution in the electronic structure. Notably, FE polarization switching is intimately coupled to layer degrees of freedom and Berry curvature. The layer-dependent electrostatic potential associated with different FE configurations controls the layer character of the band-edge states, thereby locking the Berry curvature to specific layer channels. As a result, bilayer ReIrGe2Se6 enables switching between an anomalous valley Hall effect and a layer-locked anomalous valley Hall effect, providing nonvolatile control of layer, valley, and spin-resolved transport responses. In addition, magnetization reversal switches the valley and spin channels while preserving the layer-resolved character. These results establish bilayer ReIrGe2Se6 as a multistate ferroelectric platform for programmable Berry-curvature related transport, offering microscopic insight into topology based multifunctional electronic and valleytronic devices.