Electronic and optical properties of silicene nanomeshes

Abstract

We have investigated the electronic and optical properties of silicene nanomeshes (SNMs) using first-principle calculations. The emerging information indicates that the resulting properties are sensitive to the width (W) of the silicon chains between neighboring holes. Our results show that the bandgaps of SNMs with an odd W value remain closed. On the contrary, bandgaps are opened in SNMs with an even W value at the Γ points. Most importantly, SNMs possess a broad frequency photoresponse ranging from far infrared (0 eV) to ultraviolet (10 eV) and the optical properties of SNMs can be tuned by varying the value of W. Our results reveal that SNMs, as silicon-based materials, have a significant potential for electronic, photonic, and photovoltaic applications.