Moving Beyond Graphene and 2D Semiconductors: Superconductivity and Ferroelectricity in Few-Layer T_d-MoTe₂

2D materials are layered materials that may be readily exfoliated down to a single atomic layer, presenting an opportunity to control electronic states and magnetic ordering noninvasively and efficiently. In this talk, I discuss the materials challenges faced by the 2D community in exploring novel 2D materials beyond graphene and 2D transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors. The materials challenges are not trivial to solve, and meaningful solutions must include complete control over material synthesis and device fabrication, in combination with contact engineering. After discussing these challenges, I will follow up an example material (Td-MoTe2), whereby solutions to the materials challenges allow us to probe how topology emerges from the bulk down to monolayer thicknesses for Td-MoTe2. We will explore how the influence of an electrostatic gate allows us to identify a unique superconducting state in bilayer Td-MoTe2 and its profound influence even when no change in the chemical potential is made. Our results indicate that superconductivity in bilayer Td-MoTe2 can be completely quenched by an electrostatic gate, and that the superconducting behavior is connected to Fermi surface nesting between electron and hole pockets. Not only, because of the monoclinic crystal structure ferroelectric behavior is established and its effects on superconductivity investigated.