Engineering the Near-Edge Electronic Structure of SnSe through Strains

Abstract

The layered semiconductor tin selenide has recently attracted much interest, particularly as a very promising candidate for thermoelectric applications. Unfortunately, natural samples are far from optimal, so the focus has been on understanding the fundamental physics for improvement through guided materials design. This work exploits the rich chemical-bonding characters of SnSe, its unusual multivalley electronic structure, and its strong electron-lattice coupling to engineering the near-edge electronic structure, with an eye toward strain-mediated $a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}c\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}v\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e$ control of device properties.