Effect of pressure on optical properties of the transition metal dichalcogenide MoSe2

Transition Metal Dichalcogenides TMDs MoX2 (X=S, Se, Te) are an emergent class of layered materials displaying exciting optoelectronic properties which can be modified by varying the number of layers, by intercalation, or by applying an external strain/compression. In particular, these semiconducting materials can get a band gap closure under pressure and enter in a metallic phase. Here, we investigate the optical properties of MoSe2 under high pressure by means of Raman spectroscopy over a wide pressure range (0-30 GPa). No anomaly has been observed in the pressure dependence of the frequencies of the vibrational modes A1g, E12g (Raman first order) and E1g - E22g (Raman second-order), in agreement with the absence previously reported of any pressure induced structural transition. Interestingly, our detailed line-shape analysis show a clear anomaly in the pressure behavior of the linewidth of the A1g and E12g phonons at the insurgent metallization process which was observed in previous infrared and transport experiments. Our results indicate that the linewidths of Raman phonons peaks can be sensitive to even subtle pressure-induced electronic rearrangements and can thus be used to monitor the insurgence of a pressure-induced semiconductor-metal transition.