Despite its simple crystal structure, layered boron nitride features a surprisingly complex variety of phonon-assisted luminescence peaks. We present a combined experimental and theoretical study on ultraviolet-light emission in hexagonal and rhombohedral bulk boron nitride crystals. Emission spectra of high-quality samples are measured via cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, displaying characteristic differences between the two polytypes. These differences are explained using a fully first-principles computational technique that takes into account radiative emission from “indirect,” finite-momentum excitons via coupling to finite-momentum phonons. We show that the differences in peak positions, number of peaks, and relative intensities can be qualitatively and quantitatively explained, once a full integration over all relevant momenta of excitons and phonons is performed.
M. Zanfrognini, A. Plaud, I. Stenger, F. Fossard, L. Sponza, L. Schué, F. Paleari, E. Molinari, D. Varsano, L. Wirtz, F. Ducastelle, A. Loiseau, and J. Barjon, Distinguishing different stackings in layered materials via luminescence spectroscopy, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 206902 (2023)
Type of paper:
