Neutral and charged excitons interplay in non-uniformly strain-engineered WS$_2

We investigate the response of excitons in two-dimensional semiconductors subjected to controlled non-uniform strain fields. In our approach to non-uniform strain-engineering, a WS$_2$ monolayer is suspended over a triangular hole. Large ($>2\;\%$), strongly non-uniform ($>0.28\;\%/\mu m$), and in-situ tunable strain is induced in the monolayer by pressurizing it with inert gas. We observe peak shifts and spectral shape changes in the photoluminescence spectra of strained WS$_2$. We interpret these changes as a signature of increased free electron density and resulting conversion of neutral excitons to trions in the region of high strain. Our result establishes non-uniform strain engineering as a novel and useful experimental `knob' for tuning optoelectronic properties of 2D semiconductors.