A lateral valley tunnel junction controlled by ferroelectric polarization

A lateral valley tunnel junction controlled by ferroelectric polarization | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A lateral valley tunnel junction controlled by ferroelectric polarization Kai Chang, Jing-Rong Ji, Zi'Ang Gao, Angiolo Huamán, Rui-Qi Cao, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6398841/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 11 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A special class of valleytronic two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors possesses carrier pockets ( i.e. , valleys ) along certain directions in the Brillouin zone, which can be applied as a new freedom for information storage and processing. Here we show that members of this family that are ferroelectric allow the location of these valleys to be switched by rotating the ferroelectric polarization. This makes possible a valley tunnel junction by creating or eliminating valley matching in reciprocal space. A lateral valley tunnel junction is formed from monolayer-thick ferroelectric SnTe as the electrodes and nanometer-wide paraelectric PbTe as the tunnel barriers, both grown by molecular beam epitaxy. We show, using scanning tunneling microscopy, that the transmission probability of the 2D electronic states at the valence band maximum of SnTe monolayer strongly relies on the relative orientation between the polarization directions of the two SnTe electrodes. The transmission can be switched from a suppressed state to a permitted state by rotating the ferroelectric polarization of one SnTe electrode by 90 degrees. Our work demonstrates the electric-field-control of valley locations and its potential for tunnel junction valleytronic devices. Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed-matter physics/Surfaces, interfaces and thin films Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed-matter physics/Ferroelectrics and multiferroics Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale devices/Electronic devices Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Electronic properties and materials Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementary0318.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 11 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6398841","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":443409680,"identity":"4810d787-b31f-452c-907e-7323c10c604b","order_by":0,"name":"Kai Chang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCRBxgIGHH8RIIEmL5AxStTAY3CDWXfyzm589/HLGTsb4dvPDGw/+MMjzNzA/e4DXkjvHzI1lbiTzmN05ZmyR2MZgOOMAm7kBPi0GEglm0hIfmHnMbiSYSSQ2MDBuYOBhk8CvJf0bUEs9j/GM9G8SCX8Y7InQkmMm+eHGYR4QQyKBjSGRoBaJGzll0gxnjvNI3DlTDPSLRPKMw2xmeLXwz0jfJvnjWLU9/+z2jTd//LGx7W9vfoZXCwgw88CsBCNmQuqBgPEHQssoGAWjYBSMAkwAALn7RM/b6lfoAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4965-4537","institution":"Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kai","middleName":"","lastName":"Chang","suffix":""},{"id":443409681,"identity":"e9727c1a-4e44-49a3-8f07-20aefbf72c7a","order_by":1,"name":"Jing-Rong Ji","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jing-Rong","middleName":"","lastName":"Ji","suffix":""},{"id":443409682,"identity":"c3c9f4ba-2cbc-4f02-9d57-6700a9b7209b","order_by":2,"name":"Zi'Ang Gao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zi'Ang","middleName":"","lastName":"Gao","suffix":""},{"id":443409683,"identity":"1cad0d7c-3897-42c3-91bf-48180f14d4b3","order_by":3,"name":"Angiolo Huamán","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5273-5437","institution":"University of Arkansas","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Angiolo","middleName":"","lastName":"Huamán","suffix":""},{"id":443409684,"identity":"c105a961-676a-423c-9200-25e8e15f7133","order_by":4,"name":"Rui-Qi Cao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rui-Qi","middleName":"","lastName":"Cao","suffix":""},{"id":443409685,"identity":"8ebc7030-4cea-49fa-98f2-df5d6a227cfc","order_by":5,"name":"Wen-Lin Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Wen-Lin","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":443409686,"identity":"fd9b177e-b271-4b5c-9d89-81b5c2eaef56","order_by":6,"name":"Chengguang Yue","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chengguang","middleName":"","lastName":"Yue","suffix":""},{"id":443409687,"identity":"88390023-acc0-4707-a45f-5dd7d6169f55","order_by":7,"name":"Chong Liu","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2314-8687","institution":"Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chong","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":443409688,"identity":"204b7c81-981f-4877-a2a2-39e7e330fc2c","order_by":8,"name":"Salvador Barraza-Lopez","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4301-3317","institution":"University of Arkansas","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Salvador","middleName":"","lastName":"Barraza-Lopez","suffix":""},{"id":443409689,"identity":"928056e7-0f84-4766-a5cb-e8c2d2782c56","order_by":9,"name":"Stuart Parkin","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4702-6139","institution":"Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Stuart","middleName":"","lastName":"Parkin","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-08 03:45:15","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6398841/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6398841/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66005-2","type":"published","date":"2025-12-11T05:00:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":98046077,"identity":"8ead8b61-08bd-4a4f-a949-5992b91b7532","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-12 08:10:19","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":926044,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Maintext0318.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6398841/v1_covered_2f13d9c7-f447-4109-9b2c-6bc1477e2d68.pdf"},{"id":81171977,"identity":"adb48257-a6ac-4af4-a408-b51d3f7f0d55","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-23 05:32:52","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":3568536,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Supplementary0318.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6398841/v1/d24567094908201757cdc4c5.docx"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"A lateral valley tunnel junction controlled by ferroelectric polarization","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6398841/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6398841/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eA special class of valleytronic two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors possesses carrier pockets (\u003cem\u003ei.e.\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003evalleys\u003c/em\u003e) along certain directions in the Brillouin zone, which can be applied as a new freedom for information storage and processing. Here we show that members of this family that are ferroelectric allow the location of these valleys to be switched by rotating the ferroelectric polarization. This makes possible a valley tunnel junction by creating or eliminating valley matching in reciprocal space. A lateral valley tunnel junction is formed from monolayer-thick ferroelectric SnTe as the electrodes and nanometer-wide paraelectric PbTe as the tunnel barriers, both grown by molecular beam epitaxy. We show, using scanning tunneling microscopy, that the transmission probability of the 2D electronic states at the valence band maximum of SnTe monolayer strongly relies on the relative orientation between the polarization directions of the two SnTe electrodes. The transmission can be switched from a suppressed state to a permitted state by rotating the ferroelectric polarization of one SnTe electrode by 90 degrees. Our work demonstrates the electric-field-control of valley locations and its potential for tunnel junction valleytronic devices.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A lateral valley tunnel junction controlled by ferroelectric polarization","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-23 05:32:47","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6398841/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-communications","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"NCOMMS","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature Communications](http://www.nature.com/ncomms/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://mts-ncomms.nature.com/","title":"Nature Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature Communications","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b2e76995-45c8-4630-a429-3163a6da04ee","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 23rd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":47209380,"name":"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials"},{"id":47209381,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed-matter physics/Surfaces, interfaces and thin films"},{"id":47209382,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed-matter physics/Ferroelectrics and multiferroics"},{"id":47209383,"name":"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale devices/Electronic devices"},{"id":47209384,"name":"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Electronic properties and materials"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-12T08:10:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6398841","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66005-2","journal":{"identity":"nature-communications","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Nature Communications"},"publishedOn":"2025-12-11 05:00:00","publishedOnDateReadable":"December 11th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-23 05:32:47","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41467-025-66005-2","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66005-2","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6398841","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6398841","identity":"rs-6398841","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}