The Dirac cone in two-dimensional tetragonal silicon carbides: a ring coupling mechanism

Abstract

The exploration of novel two-dimensional semimetallic materials is always an attractive topic. We propose a series of two-dimensional silicon carbides with a tetragonal lattice. The band structure of silicon carbides with tetragonal carbon rings and silicon rings exhibits Dirac cones. Interestingly, the Dirac cone of tetragonal SiC originates from a “ring coupling” mechanism. This mechanism refers to the mutual coupling between the four carbon atoms in the tetragonal C ring, and the same coupling in the tetragonal Si ring. Additionally, the “ring coupling” mechanism is applicable to other group IV binary compounds such as monolayer GeC and SnC. This work provides reliable evidence for the argument that two-dimensional tetragonal materials can produce Dirac cones.