Bidirectional manipulation of gate-free quantum electronic states via semiconductor interface engineering

(a) Schematic diagram of twisted bilayer MoS 2 (tb-MoS 2 ) forming periodic moiré patterns stacked on top of thickness-dependent semimetal Bi quantum well states (∆E_QWS). (b) Thickness control of the Bi semimetal thin film gives rise to distinctly different electron spatial arrangement patterns. Credit: National Taiwan University

A recent study published in Nature Communications demonstrates precise control over electron spatial arrangement in two directions simultaneously—without any applied voltage—through interface engineering between semimetal bismuth (Bi) thin films and two-dimensional semiconductor MoS₂.

Researchers found that in the horizontal direction, the Moiré potential generated by small-angle twisted bilayer MoS₂ confines electrons to specific sites; in the vertical direction, tuning the bismuth film thickness modulates the electron effective mass, enabling switching between two distinct configurations—thinner films favor electron clustering into a trimer (molecular-like bonding) arrangement, while thicker films drive electrons apart into a periodic Kagome-like configuration.

Requiring no external voltage to induce electron confinement, this material system offers a critical foundation for developing charge qubits and ultra-low-power devices, potentially opening new design pathways for next-generation quantum computing and energy-efficient semiconductor chips.

"Bidirectional, gate-free manipulation of quantum electronic states offers a materials foundation for next-generation quantum computing and energy-efficient semiconductor technologies," says co-corresponding author Prof. Ya-Ping Chiu.

In this work, the team of Distinguished Professor Ya-Ping Chiu in the Department of Physics at National Taiwan University was responsible for the core atomic-scale experimental measurements and analysis.

Director and Distinguished Research Fellow Ching-Ming Wei of the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, together with the team of Professor Jyh-Pin Chou of the Graduate School of Advanced Technology, National Taiwan University, provided crucial support with theoretical calculations. The R&D team at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) supplied high-quality semiconductor samples.

Publication details

Hao-Yu Chen et al, Electrostatically tunable moiré-mediated Wigner states via interfacial potential engineering in 2D van der Waals heterostructures, Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70614-w

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Bidirectional manipulation of gate-free quantum electronic states via semiconductor interface engineering (2026, June 13)

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