Anisotropic temperature dependence of the electronic band structure in black phosphorus

Abstract Black phosphorus (BP) has attracted much attention because of its anisotropic layer-dependent optical and electronic structure and ultrahigh carrier mobility. Despite the importance of manipulating the optical and electronic properties of BP by temperature variation, the response of the electronic band structure to temperature and the underlying mechanism which are crucial to understand the related applications haven’t been reported yet. Herein, temperature dependence of the electronic band structure of BP has been measured by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) and the band dispersions are quantitatively characterized. While the hole effective mass along k x ( m x ) decreases with temperature, that along k y ( m y ) increases with temperature. We argue that the electronic band dispersion along k x is decreased because it is dictated by the weakened interlayer and intralayer couplings, and the increase of m y with temperature is ascribed to the enhanced electron–phonon scattering. This work reports the anisotropic temperature dependence of the electronic band dispersion of BP and reveals the underlying mechanisms, which will expand the knowledge of electronic structure and benefit the understanding of temperature dependent phenomena in this material.