Optical and electronic properties of two dimensional graphitic silicon carbide

Optical and electronic properties of two dimensional few layers graphitic silicon carbide (GSiC), in particular monolayer and bilayer, are investigated by density functional theory and found different from that of graphene and silicene. Monolayer GSiC has direct bandgap while few layers exhibit indirect bandgap. The bandgap of monolayer GSiC can be tuned by an in-plane strain. Properties of bilayer GSiC are extremely sensitive to the interlayer distance. These predictions promise that monolayer GSiC could be a remarkable candidate for novel type of light-emitting diodes utilizing its unique optical properties distinct from graphene, silicene and few layers GSiC.