Electric field and uniaxial strain tunable electronic properties of the InSb/InSe heterostructure

Abstract

In this study, the InSb/InSe heterostructure is systematically examined in terms of its electronic properties through first-principles calculations. According to our findings, the InSb/InSe heterostructure is a kind of unique direct band gap semiconductor, which has inherent type-II band alignment, resulting in significant photogenerated electron–hole pair separation in space. When the external electric field is applied, the Stark effect is observed in the band gap. Interestingly, in the application of the −0.3 V Å⁻¹ electric field, such a heterostructure is transformed into type-I from type-II. Simultaneously, the band gap is also effectively controlled by uniaxial strain. In particular, high carrier mobility is obtained at a compressive strain of 4% on the Y-axis. To sum up, based on the results in the present work, the InSb/InSe heterostructure can be potentially used in nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices.