Tunable electronic properties of GeSe/phosphorene heterostructure from first-principles study

Vertical integration of two-dimensional materials has recently emerged as an exciting method for the design of electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this letter, first principles calculations are employed to explore the structural and electronic properties of the GeSe/phosphorene van der Waals (vdW) p-n heterostructure. Our results suggest that this heterostructure has an intrinsic type-II band alignment and indirect band gap. Moreover, we also find that an intriguing indirect-direct and insulator-metal transition can be induced by strain. In addition, spontaneous electron-hole charge separation is expected to occur, implying that the GeSe/phosphorene heterostructure is a good candidate for applications in optoelectronics. These results provide a route for applications of the GeSe/phosphorene vdW heterostructure in future flexible electronics, optoelectronics, and semiconductor devices. Published by AIP Publishing.