Large-scale tuning of exciton binding energy and reconfiguration in van der Waals heterostructures

Abstract We present an explicit framework for large-scale, in-situ control of exciton binding energy and ground-state reconfiguration in arbitrary multi-layer van der Waals heterostructures through screening effects induced by unbiased electrode gates. This method enables a reduction in exciton binding energy by up to an order of magnitude and facilitates zero-field reconfiguration of intralayer excitons. Furthermore, by applying a weak in-plane electric field, enhanced by the electrode screening, we achieve efficient intralayer-interlayer exciton reconfiguration. This approach significantly lowers the required critical field strength—by an order of magnitude compared to conventional out-of-plane fields—due to enhanced electron–hole dissociation. Our findings open new avenues for the flexible and efficient control of excitonic devices.