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We investigated the formation of Schottky barriers at the interface between rare-earth tritelluride (RTe3) crystals and n-type silicon (n-Si) substrates. This study explores the rectifying characteristics of RTe3/n-Si junctions (R = Dy, Ho, Er) and their relation to the charge density wave (CDW) transition. Using the thermionic emission model, we analyzed current–voltage (I–V) measurements to obtain the Schottky barrier height (ϕSBH) and the ideality factor (η). The temperature dependence of the extracted ϕSBH and η reveals kink features near the CDW transition temperature. The Schottky–Mott model is employed to explain these kink features in the derivatives of ϕSBH and 1/η and attributes them to changes in the work function of RTe3 during the CDW transition. Our findings suggest that Schottky junctions can be utilized to probe the electronic states of RTe3, enabling potential RTe3 device applications in electronics and optoelectronics. 

Abstract Excitons in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have offered an attractive platform for optoelectronic and valleytronic devices. Further realizations of correlated phases of excitons promise device concepts not possible in the single particle picture. Here we report tunable exciton “spin” orders in WSe₂/WS₂moiré superlattices. We find evidence of an in-plane (xy) order of exciton “spin”—here, valley pseudospin—around exciton fillingv_ex = 1, which strongly suppresses the out-of-plane “spin” polarization. Upon increasingv_exor applying a small magnetic field of ~10 mT, it transitions into an out-of-plane ferromagnetic (FM-z) spin order that spontaneously enhances the “spin” polarization, i.e., the circular helicity of emission light is higher than the excitation. The phase diagram is qualitatively captured by a spin-1/2 Bose–Hubbard model and is distinct from the fermion case. Our study paves the way for engineering exotic phases of matter from correlated spinor bosons, opening the door to a host of unconventional quantum devices.