We report the synthesis and characterization of a Si-based ternary semiconductor Mg3Si2Te6, which exhibits a quasi-two-dimensional structure, where the trigonal Mg2Si2Te6 layers are separated by Mg ions. Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations were performed to investigate the electronic structure. The experimentally determined direct band gap is 1.39 eV, consistent with the value of the density function theory calculations. Our results reveal that Mg3Si2Te6 is a direct gap semiconductor with a relatively narrow gap, which is a potential candidate for infrared optoelectronic devices.
@article{arxiv.2207.05936,
title = {Crystal and electronic structure of a quasi-two-dimensional semiconductor Mg$_3$Si$_2$Te$_6$},
author = {Chaoxin Huang and Benyuan Cheng and Yunwei Zhang and Long Jiang and Lisi Li and Mengwu Huo and Hui Liu and Xing Huang and Feixiang Liang and Lan Chen and Hualei Sun and Meng Wang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2207.05936},
year = {2022}
}