Unidirectional Doubly Enhanced MoS2 Emission via Photonic Fano Resonances

Polarization-Controlled Exciton-Polaritons in WS2 Strongly Coupled with Low-Symmetry Photonic Crystal Nanostructures

Atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with ambient stable exciton resonances have emerged as an ideal material platform for exciton-polaritons. In particular, the strong coupling between excitons in TMDs and optical resonances in anisotropic photonic nanostructures can form exciton-polaritons with polarization selectivity, which offers a new degree of freedom for the manipulation of the light-matter interaction. In this work, we present the experimental demonstration of polarization-controlled exciton-polaritons in tungsten disulfide (WS2) strongly coupled with polarization singularities in the momentum space of low-symmetry photonic crystal (PhC) nanostructures. The utilization of polarization singularities can not only effectively modulate the polarization states of exciton-polaritons in the momentum space but also facilitate or suppress their far field coupling capabilities by tuning the in-plane momentum. Our results provide new strategies for creating polarization-selective exciton-polaritons.

Spin-Locked WS2 Vortex Emission via Photonic Crystal Bound States in the Continuum

Owing to their strong exciton effects and valley polarization properties, monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (1L TMDs) have unfolded the prospects of spin-polarized light-emitting devices. However, the wavefront control of exciton emission, which is critical to generate structured optical fields, remains elusive. In this work, the experimental demonstration of spin-locked vortex emission from monolayer Tungsten Disulfide (1L WS2) integrated with Silicon Nitride (SiNx) PhC slabs is presented. The symmetry-protected bound states in the continuum (BIC) in the SiNx PhC slabs engender azimuthal polarization field distribution in the momentum space with a topological singularity in the center of the Brillouin zone, which imposes the resonantly enhanced WS2 exciton emission with a spin-correlated spiral phase front by taking advantage of the winding topologies of resonances with the assistance of geometric phase scheme. As a result, exciton emission from 1L WS2 exhibits helical wavefront and doughnut-shaped intensity beam profile in the momentum space with topological charges locked to the spins of light. This strategy on spin-dependent excitonic vortex emission may offer the unparalleled capability of valley-polarized structured light generation for 1L TMDs.

Chiral absorption enhancement via critically coupled resonances in atomically thin photonic crystal exciton-polaritons

Atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDS) offer a promising route to the scaling down of optoelectronic devices to the ultimate thickness limit. But the weak light-matter interaction caused by their atomically thin nature makes them inevitably rely on external photonic structures to enhance optical absorption. Here, we report chiral absorption enhancement in atomically thin tungsten diselenide (WSe2) using chiral resonances in photonic crystal (PhC) nanostructures patterned directly in WSe2 itself. We show that the quality factors (Q factors) of the resonances grow exponentially as the PhC thickness approaches atomic limit. As such, the strong interaction of high Q factor photonic resonance with the coexisting exciton resonance in WSe2 results into self-coupled exciton-polaritons. By balancing the light coupling and absorption rates, the incident light can critically couple to chiral resonances in WSe2 PhC exciton-polaritons, leading to the theoretically limited 50% optical absorptance with over 84% circular dichroism (CD).

Giant Photoluminescence Enhancement of Monolayer WSe2 Using a Plasmonic Nanocavity with On-Demand Resonance

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are considered promising building blocks for next-generation photonic and optoelectronic devices, owing to their fascinating optical properties. However, their inherent weak light absorption and low quantum yield severely hinder their practical applications. Here, we report up to 18000-fold photoluminescence (PL) enhancement in a monolayer WSe2-coupled plasmonic nanocavity. A spectroscopy-assisted nanomanipulation technique enables the assembly of a nanocavity with customizable resonances to simultaneously enhance the excitation and emission processes. In particular, precise control over the magnetic cavity mode facilitates spectral and spatial overlap with the exciton, resulting in plasmon-exciton intermediate coupling that approaches the maximum emission rate in the hybrid system. Meanwhile, the cavity mode exhibits high radiation directivity, which overwhelmingly directs surface-normal PL emission and leads to a 17-fold increase in the collection efficiency. Our approach opens up a new avenue to enhance the PL intensity of monolayer TMDs, facilitating their implementation in highly efficient optoelectronic devices.

Directing valley-polarized emission of 3 L WS2 by photonic crystal with directional circular dichroism

The valley degree of freedom that results from broken inversion symmetry in two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) has sparked a lot of interest due to its huge potential in information processing. In this experimental work, to optically address the valley-polarized emission from three-layer (3 L) thick WS2 at room temperature, we employ a SiN photonic crystal slab that has two sets of holes in a square lattice that supports directional circular dichroism engendered by delocalized guided mode resonances. By perturbatively breaking the inversion symmetry of the photonic crystal slab, we can simultaneously manipulate s and p components of the radiating field so that these resonances correspond to circularly polarized emission. The emission of excitons from distinct valleys is coupled into different radiative channels and hence separated in the farfield. This directional exciton emission from selective valleys provides a potential route for valley-polarized light emitters, which lays the groundwork for future valleytronic devices.

Multi-mode strong coupling in Fabry-Pérot cavity-WS2 photonic crystal hybrid structures

Optical microcavities embedded with transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) membranes have been demonstrated as excellent platforms to explore strong light-matter interactions. Most of the previous studies focus on strong coupling between excitons of unpatterned TMDC membranes and optical resonances of various microcavities. It is recently found that TMDC membranes patterned into photonic crystal (PhC) slabs can sustain guided-mode resonances that can be excited and probed by far-fields. Here, we present a comprehensive theoretical and numerical study on optical responses of Fabry-Pérot (F-P) cavity-WS₂ PhC hybrid structures to investigate the multi-mode coupling effects between excitons, guided-mode resonances and F-P modes. We show that both the exciton resonance and the guide-mode resonance of the WS₂ PhC can strongly interact with F-P modes of the cavity to reach strong coupling regime. Moreover, a Rabi splitting as large as 63 meV is observed for the strong coupling between the guided-mode resonance and the F-P mode, which is much larger than their average dissipation rate. We further demonstrate that it is even possible to realize a triple mode strong coupling by tuning the guide-mode resonances spectrally overlapped with the exciton resonance and the F-P modes. The hybrid polariton states generated from the triple mode coupling exhibit a Rabi splitting of 120 meV that greatly exceeds the criterion of a triple mode strong coupling (∼29.3 meV). Our results provide that optical microcavities embedded with TMDC PhCs can serve as promising candidates for polariton devices based on multi-mode strong coupling.

Giant Enhancement and Directional Second Harmonic Emission from Monolayer WS2 on Silicon Substrate via Fabry-Pérot Micro-Cavity

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) possess large second-order optical nonlinearity, making them ideal candidates for miniaturized on-chip frequency conversion devices, all-optical interconnection, and optoelectronic integration components. However, limited by subnanometer thickness, the monolayer TMD exhibits low second harmonic generation (SHG) conversion efficiency (<0.1%) and poor directionality, which hinders their practical applications. Herein, we proposed a Fabry-Pérot (F-P) cavity formed by coupling an atomically thin WS₂ film with a silicon hole matrix to enhance the SH emission. A maximum enhancement (∼1580 times) is achieved by tuning the excitation wavelength to be resonant with the microcavity modes. The giant enhancement is attributed to the strong electric field enhancement in the F-P cavity and the oscillator strength enhancement of excitons from suspended WS₂. Moreover, directional SH emission (divergence angle ∼5°) is obtained benefiting from the resonance of the F-P microcavity. Our research results can provide a practical sketch to develop both high-efficiency and directional nonlinear optical devices for silicon-based on-chip integration optics.

Electrical Switching of the Off-Resonance Room-Temperature Valley Polarization in Monolayer MoS2 by a Double-Resonance Chiral Microstructure

Enhancing and expanding the manipulated range of room-temperature valley polarization at off-resonance wavelength is extremely crucial to developing various functional valleytronic devices. Although these have been realized through the double-resonance strategy or twist-angle engineering, the demand for electrical control over the concepts remains elusive. Here, we fabricate a gate-tunable double-resonance chiral microstructure using a molybdenum disulfides (MoS₂) monolayer. On the basis of the varied interface charge density, we demonstrate the huge photoluminescence (PL) tuning ability of this configuration. Furthermore, benefiting predominately from the screening of long-range e-h exchange interactions and the chiral Purcell effect, the electrical switching of the room-temperature valley polarization at off-resonance wavelength is also realized. Our work enriches the functions of TMDs-based optoelectronic devices and may create important applications in future valley-polarized encode and information processing devices.

Multifunctional and Transformative Metaphotonics with Emerging Materials

Future technologies underpinning multifunctional physical and chemical systems and compact biological sensors will rely on densely packed transformative and tunable circuitry employing nanophotonics. For many years, plasmonics was considered as the only available platform for subwavelength optics, but the recently emerged field of resonant metaphotonics may provide a versatile practical platform for nanoscale science by employing resonances in high-index dielectric nanoparticles and metasurfaces. Here, we discuss the recently emerged field of metaphotonics and describe its connection to material science and chemistry. For tunabilty, metaphotonics employs a variety of the recently highlighted materials such as polymers, perovskites, transition metal dichalcogenides, and phase change materials. This allows to achieve diverse functionalities of metasystems and metasurfaces for efficient spatial and temporal control of light by employing multipolar resonances and the physics of bound states in the continuum. We anticipate expanding applications of these concepts in nanolasers, tunable metadevices, metachemistry, as well as a design of a new generation of chemical and biological ultracompact sensing devices.

Enhanced light-matter interaction in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) materials, such as MoS₂, WS₂, MoSe₂, and WSe₂, have received extensive attention in the past decade due to their extraordinary electronic, optical and thermal properties. They evolve from indirect bandgap semiconductors to direct bandgap semiconductors while their layer number is reduced from a few layers to a monolayer limit. Consequently, there is strong photoluminescence in a monolayer (1L) TMDC due to the large quantum yield. Moreover, such monolayer semiconductors have two other exciting properties: large binding energy of excitons and valley polarization. These properties make them become ideal materials for various electronic, photonic and optoelectronic devices. However, their performance is limited by the relatively weak light-matter interactions due to their atomically thin form factor. Resonant nanophotonic structures provide a viable way to address this issue and enhance light-matter interactions in 2D TMDCs. Here, we provide an overview of this research area, showcasing relevant applications, including exotic light emission, absorption and scattering features. We start by overviewing the concept of excitons in 1L-TMDC and the fundamental theory of cavity-enhanced emission, followed by a discussion on the recent progress of enhanced light emission, strong coupling and valleytronics. The atomically thin nature of 1L-TMDC enables a broad range of ways to tune its electric and optical properties. Thus, we continue by reviewing advances in TMDC-based tunable photonic devices. Next, we survey the recent progress in enhanced light absorption over narrow and broad bandwidths using 1L or few-layer TMDCs, and their applications for photovoltaics and photodetectors. We also review recent efforts of engineering light scattering, e.g., inducing Fano resonances, wavefront engineering in 1L or few-layer TMDCs by either integrating resonant structures, such as plasmonic/Mie resonant metasurfaces, or directly patterning monolayer/few layers TMDCs. We then overview the intriguing physical properties of different van der Waals heterostructures, and their applications in optoelectronic and photonic devices. Finally, we draw our opinion on potential opportunities and challenges in this rapidly developing field of research.

Photoluminescence enhancement in monolayer MoS2 and self-assembled 3D photonic crystal heterostructures

Self-assembled photonic crystals (PCs) have promising applications in enhancing and directional manipulation of the photoemission due to their photonic bandgaps. Here, we employed self-assembled 3D polystyrene PCs to enhance the photoluminescence (PL) of monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). Through tuning the photonic bandgap of the polystyrene crystals to overlap with the direct emission band of monolayer MoS₂, the MoS₂/3D-PC heterostructure showed a maximum 12-fold PL enhancement, and Rabi splitting was also observed in the reflection spectrum. The heterostructure is expected to be useful in nanophotonic emitting devices.

WS2/hBN Hetero-nanoslits with Spatially Mismatched Electromagnetic Multipoles for Directional and Enhanced Light Emission

van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures based on vertical-stacking transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) with tunable excitonic energies and spin-valley properties show intriguing optical and optoelectronic applications. Additionally, vdW heterostructures with high refractive indices, exciton-induced Lorentzian dispersion, and controllable structures are ideal building blocks as optical resonators for subwavelength light confinement and effective light-matter interaction, which have not been studied. Herein, we build vdW hetero-nanoslits based on tungsten disulfide (WS₂) and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) multilayers. The multipole optical modes arise from the evolution of electromagnetic near-field distributions through engineering of refractive index and corresponding optical path differences (OPDs). More importantly, the coupling between electromagnetic multipoles with spectral and spatial overlap facilitates the directional scattering with an engineered forward-to-backward (F/B) ratio from 0.1 to 100.0 owing to generalized Kerker effects. Through further combination of WS₂ monolayers and WS₂/hBN hetero-nanoslits, the photoluminescence (PL) modulation in the range of 50% to 800% is achieved. The enhancement factor and modulation range are comparable to the best performances of single-element plasmonic or dielectric nanostructures. This work provides a different insight into designing nanophotonic devices in the visible range by solely relying on vdW heterostructures.

Giant Photoluminescence Enhancement and Carrier Dynamics in MoS2 Bilayers with Anomalous Interlayer Coupling

Fundamental researches and explorations based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) mainly focus on their monolayer counterparts, where optical densities are limited owing to the atomic monolayer thickness. Photoluminescence (PL) yield in bilayer TMDCs is much suppressed owing to indirect-bandgap properties. Here, optical properties are explored in artificially twisted bilayers of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). Anomalous interlayer coupling and resultant giant PL enhancement are firstly observed in MoS₂ bilayers, related to the suspension of the top layer material and independent of twisted angle. Moreover, carrier dynamics in MoS₂ bilayers with anomalous interlayer coupling are revealed with pump-probe measurements, and the secondary rising behavior in pump-probe signal of B-exciton resonance, originating from valley depolarization of A-exciton, is firstly reported and discussed in this work. These results lay the groundwork for future advancement and applications beyond TMDCs monolayers.

MoS2 with Stable Photoluminescence Enhancement under Stretching via Plasmonic Surface Lattice Resonance

In this study, by combining a large-area MoS₂ monolayer with silver plasmonic nanostructures in a deformable polydimethylsiloxane substrate, we theoretically and experimentally studied the photoluminescence (PL) enhancement of MoS₂ by surface lattice resonance (SLR) modes of different silver plasmonic nanostructures. We also observed the stable PL enhancement of MoS₂ by silver nanodisc arrays under differently applied stretching strains, caused by the mechanical holding effect of the MoS₂ monolayer. We believe the results presented herein can guarantee the possibility of stably enhancing the light emission of transition metal dichalcogenides using SLR modes in a deformable platform.

Silicon Nanoantenna Mix Arrays for a Trifecta of Quantum Emitter Enhancements

Dielectric nanostructures have demonstrated optical antenna effects due to Mie resonances. Previous work has exhibited enhancements in absorption, emission rates and directionality with practical limitations. In this paper, we present a Si mix antenna array to achieve a trifecta enhancement of ∼1200-fold with a Purcell factor of ∼47. The antenna design incorporates ∼10 nm gaps, within which fluorescent molecules strongly absorb the pump laser energy through a resonant mode. In the emission process, the antenna array increases the radiative decay rates of the fluorescence molecules via a Purcell effect and provides directional emission through a separate mode. This work could lead to novel CMOS-compatible platforms to enhance fluorescence for biological and chemical applications.

Topology of transition metal dichalcogenides: the case of the core-shell architecture

Non-planar architectures of the traditionally flat 2D materials are emerging as an intriguing paradigm to realize nascent properties within the family of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). These non-planar forms encompass a diversity of curvatures, morphologies, and overall 3D architectures that exhibit unusual characteristics across the hierarchy of length-scales. Topology offers an integrated and unified approach to describe, harness, and eventually tailor non-planar architectures through both local and higher order geometry. Topological design of layered materials intrinsically invokes elements highly relevant to property manipulation in TMDs, such as the origin of strain and its accommodation by defects and interfaces, which have broad implications for improved material design. In this review, we discuss the importance and impact of geometry on the structure and properties of TMDs. We present a generalized geometric framework to classify and relate the diversity of possible non-planar TMD forms. We then examine the nature of curvature in the emerging core-shell architecture, which has attracted high interest due to its versatility and design potential. We consider the local structure of curved TMDs, including defect formation, strain, and crystal growth dynamics, and factors affecting the morphology of core-shell structures, such as synthesis conditions and substrate morphology. We conclude by discussing unique aspects of TMD architectures that can be leveraged to engineer targeted, exotic properties and detail how advanced characterization tools enable detection of these features. Varying the topology of nanomaterials has long served as a potent methodology to engineer unusual and exotic properties, and the time is ripe to apply topological design principles to TMDs to drive future nanotechnology innovation.

Highly efficient and controllable photoluminescence emission on a suspended MoS2-based plasmonic grating

Being a new class of materials, transition metal dichalcogenides are paving the way for applications in atomically thin optoelectronics. However, the intrinsically weak light-matter interaction and the lack of manipulation ability has lead to poor light emission and tunable behavior. Here, we investigate the fluorescence characteristic of monolayer molybdenum disulfide on a metal narrow-slit grating, where a highly efficient, 471 times photoluminescence enhancement are realized, based on the hybrid surface plasmon polaritons resonances and the decreased influence of substrate. Moreover, the emitted intensity and polarization are controllable due to the polarization-dependent characteristic and anisotropy of grating. The manipulations of light-matter interactions in this special system provide a new insight into the fluorescent emission process and open a new avenue for high-performance low dimensional materials devices designs.

Enhancement of exciton emission in WS2 based on the Kerker effect from the mode engineering of individual Si nanostripes

Coupling between nanostructures and excitons has attracted great attention for potential applications in quantum information technology. Compared with plasmonic platforms, all-dielectric nanostructures with Mie resonances are more practical because of low-loss, low-cost and CMOS compatibility. However, weak field enhancements in single element dielectric nanostructures hinder their applications in both strong and weak coupling regimes. The Kerker effect arising from the far-field electro-magnetic interactions in dielectric nanostructures brings a new mechanism to realize effective coupling with excitons. Until now, it still remains unsolved whether effective Mie-exciton coupling can be realized based on pure far-field Kerker effect. Therefore, we proposed a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) integrated Mie resonator with a 135 nm top oxide layer to exclude the near-field coupling between excitons and silicon (Si) nanostripes. Through tuning the widths of Si nanostripes to obtain highly directional photoluminescence (PL) emission under Kerker conditions, strong PL enhancements can be observed, whose enhancement factors are comparable to the reported best performances of single all-dielectric or even plasmonic nanostructures coupling with 2D excitons. Our findings bring new strategies for strong light-matter interactions with near-zero heating loss and make it possible to construct 2D materials-silicon hybrid integration for future nanophotonic and optoelectronic devices.

Robust B-exciton emission at room temperature in few-layers of MoS2:Ag nanoheterojunctions embedded into a glass matrix

Tailoring the photoluminescence (PL) properties in two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) crystals using external factors is critical for its use in valleytronic, nanophotonic and optoelectronic applications. Although significant effort has been devoted towards enhancing or manipulating the excitonic emission in MoS2 monolayers, the excitonic emission in few-layers MoS2 has been largely unexplored. Here, we put forward a novel nano-heterojunction system, prepared with a non-lithographic process, to enhance and control such emission. It is based on the incorporation of few-layers MoS2 into a plasmonic silver metaphosphate glass (AgPO3) matrix. It is shown that, apart from the enhancement of the emission of both A- and B-excitons, the B-excitonic emission dominates the PL intensity. In particular, we observe an almost six-fold enhancement of the B-exciton emission, compared to control MoS2 samples. This enhanced PL at room temperature is attributed to an enhanced exciton-plasmon coupling and it is supported by ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopy that reveals plasmon-enhanced electron transfer that takes place in Ag nanoparticles-MoS2 nanoheterojunctions. Our results provide a great avenue to tailor the emission properties of few-layers MoS2, which could find application in emerging valleytronic devices working with B excitons.

Metasurface Integrated Monolayer Exciton Polariton

Monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are the first truly two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor, providing an excellent platform to investigate light-matter interaction in the 2D limit. The inherently strong excitonic response in monolayer TMDs can be further enhanced by exploiting the temporal confinement of light in nanophotonic structures. Here, we demonstrate a 2D exciton-polariton system by strongly coupling atomically thin tungsten diselenide (WSe₂) monolayer to a silicon nitride (SiN) metasurface. Via energy-momentum spectroscopy of the WSe₂-metasurface system, we observed the characteristic anticrossing of the polariton dispersion both in the reflection and photoluminescence spectrum. A Rabi splitting of 18 meV was observed which matched well with our numerical simulation. Moreover, we showed that the Rabi splitting, the polariton dispersion, and the far-field emission pattern could be tailored with subwavelength-scale engineering of the optical meta-atoms. Our platform thus opens the door for the future development of novel, exotic exciton-polariton devices by advanced meta-optical engineering.

Polarization-Dependent Optical Properties and Optoelectronic Devices of 2D Materials

The development of optoelectronic devices requires breakthroughs in new material systems and novel device mechanisms, and the demand recently changes from the detection of signal intensity and responsivity to the exploration of sensitivity of polarized state information. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are a rich family exhibiting diverse physical and electronic properties for polarization device applications, including anisotropic materials, valleytronic materials, and other hybrid heterostructures. In this review, we first review the polarized-light-dependent physical mechanism in 2D materials, then present detailed descriptions in optical and optoelectronic properties, involving Raman shift, optical absorption, and light emission and functional optoelectronic devices. Finally, a comment is made on future developments and challenges. The plethora of 2D materials and their heterostructures offers the promise of polarization-dependent scientific discovery and optoelectronic device application.

In situ scattering of single gold nanorod coupling with monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides

We investigated in situ the interaction between a single gold nanorod and monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) by atomic force microscopy nanomanipulation and single-particle spectroscopy. We observed that the resonant scattering peak of the hybrid redshifted, the full width at half maximum of the scattering resonance narrowed and the scattering intensity increased compared with those of the same nanorod before coupling with monolayer TMDCs. These results were understood with the aid of finite-difference time-domain simulations, the Fano model, and the classical oscillator model. Also, the spectral features varied with the distance between the nanorod and TMDCs, and the interaction was mainly attributed to the resonant energy transfer effect. Our findings clarify the influence of TMDCs on the plasmonic resonance and contribute to a deeper understanding of the plasmon exciton interaction. These results are beneficial for the optimization of plasmonic nanostructure-TMDC hybrids and their corresponding applications.

Guiding of visible photons at the ångström thickness limit

Optical waveguides are vital components of data communication system technologies, but their scaling down to the nanoscale has remained challenging despite advances in nano-optics and nanomaterials. Recently, we theoretically predicted that the ultimate limit of visible photon guiding can be achieved in monolayer-thick transition metal dichalcogenides. Here, we present an experimental demonstration of light guiding in an atomically thick tungsten disulfide membrane patterned as a photonic crystal structure. In this scheme, two-dimensional tungsten disulfide excitonic photoluminescence couples into quasi-guided photonic crystal modes known as resonant-type Wood's anomalies. These modes propagate via total internal reflection with only a small portion of the light diffracted to the far field. Such light guiding at the ultimate limit provides more possibilities to miniaturize optoelectronic devices and to test fundamental physical concepts.

Tunable Control of Interlayer Excitons in WS2/MoS2 Heterostructures via Strong Coupling with Enhanced Mie Resonances

Strong Coulomb interactions in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) produce strongly bound excitons, trions, and biexcitons. The existence of multiexcitonic states has drawn tremendous attention because of its promising applications in quantum information. Combining different monolayer TMDs into van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures opens up opportunities to engineer exciton devices and bring new phenomena. Spatially separated electrons and holes in different layers produce interlayer excitons. Although much progress has been made on excitons in single layers, how interlayer excitons contribute the photoluminescence emission and how to tailor the interlayer exciton emission have not been well understood. Here, room temperature strong coupling between interlayer excitons in the WS2/MoS2 vdW heterostructure and cavity-enhanced Mie resonances in individual silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) are demonstrated. The heterostructures are inserted into a Si film-Si NP all-dielectric platform to realize effective energy exchanges and Rabi oscillations. Besides mode splitting in scattering, tunable interlayer excitonic emission is also observed. The results make it possible to design TMDs heterostructures with various excitonic states for future photonics devices.

Upconversion enhancement by a dual-resonance all-dielectric metasurface

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have drawn much attention in the past decade due to their superior physicochemical features and great potential in biomedical and biophotonic studies. However, their low luminescence efficiency often limits their applications. Here, we demonstrated a dual-resonance all-dielectric metasurface to enhance the signals emitted by upconversion nanoparticles (NaYF4:Yb/Tm). An averaged upconversion signal enhancement of around 400 times is detected experimentally. The electric and magnetic dipole resonances of the metasurface are designed to enhance the local excitation field and the quantum efficiency of the upconversion nanoparticles, respectively. Furthermore, the collection efficiency is enhanced due to the directional emission of the UCNPs on the metasurface. Our approach provides a powerful tool to extend the sensing application potential of upconversion nanoparticles.

Photoluminescence enhancement and ultrafast relaxation dynamics in a low-dimensional heterostructure: effect of plasmon-exciton coupling

In this work, we present an in-depth study on a low-dimensional heterostructure comprising monolayer (ML) tungsten disulfide (WS₂) and 1D plasmonic photonic crystal (PPC). Stable-state photoluminescence (PL) experiments are employed to study the optical properties of WS₂ films with and without PPC. In addition, angle-resolved reflectance and PL microscopy measurements are used to identify the coupling effects between ML WS₂ and 1D PPC. Furthermore, by means of femtosecond pump-probe experiments, the relaxation time for the newly proposed heterostructure is extracted to be 0.74 ps and 21.9 ps. Importantly, the underlying mechanism of the relaxation processes is also revealed in the hybrid for the first time, to the best of our knowledge.

Polarization-sensitive beam steering from quantum emitters coupled with birefringent metamaterials

One-dimensional metal/dielectric subwavelength periodic patterns have dielectric or metallic material dispersions depending on the polarization of incident light. This feature enables the development of artificial, ultrathin, birefringent films. In this study, we report polarization-sensitive beam steering from quantum emitters coupled with one-dimensional metal/dielectric metamaterial films. Electromagnetic simulations show that an Al/ITO metamaterial film functioning as a quarter-wave plate leads to vertically directed radiation for one polarization and a saddle-shaped, diverging radiation pattern for the orthogonal polarization. The strategy studied herein is extended to achieve polarized, vertically directed emission from organic light-emitting diodes. A tailored Al/ITO metamaterial mirror yields an approximately 30-fold improvement in polarization ratio, in conjunction with polarization-dependent Purcell factor enhancement.

Unidirectional Enhanced Emission from 2D Monolayer Suspended by Dielectric Pillar Array

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides show great promise for optoelectronic devices as atomically thin semiconductors. Although dielectric or metal nanostructures have been extensively studied for tailoring and enhancing emission from monolayers, their applications are limited because of the mode concentrating inside the dielectric or the high optical losses in metals, together with the low quantum yield in monolayers. Here, we demonstrate that a metal-backed dielectric pillar array can suspend monolayers to increase the radiative recombination, and simultaneously, create strongly confined band-edge modes on surface directly accessible to monolayers. We observe unidirectional enhanced emission from WSe₂ monolayers on polymer pillar array.

Vertical beaming of incoherent quantum emitters via the near-field coupling of Fano resonance

We report highly collimated radiation from incoherent quantum emitters coupled to photonic dispersion-engineered structures. Two-dimensional free-standing photonic crystal slabs sustained an extremely high density of states for vertically leaky light at discrete frequencies, which results from the constructive interference between directly reflected light and quasi-bound guided modes, referred to as Fano resonance. Electromagnetic simulations showed that an electric dipole that is excited near a photonic crystal slab generates vertically directional radiation at every Fano resonance frequency. The radiation distribution of an electric dipole is strongly correlated with the angular reflectance of a coupled photonic crystal slab. The strategy developed herein will be useful to achieve a vertical beam from quantum emitters such as transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, facilitating the delivery of light into other external optics.

Valley-Selective Response of Nanostructures Coupled to 2D Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides

Monolayer (1L) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are attractive materials for several optoelectronic applications because of their strong excitonic resonances and valley-selective response. Valley excitons in 1L-TMDCs are formed at opposite points of the Brillouin zone boundary, giving rise to a valley degree of freedom that can be treated as a pseudospin, and may be used as a platform for information transport and processing. However, short valley depolarization times and relatively short exciton lifetimes at room temperature prevent using valley pseudospins in on-chip integrated valley devices. Recently, it was demonstrated how coupling these materials to optical nanoantennas and metasurfaces can overcome this obstacle. Here, we review the state-of-the-art advances in valley-selective directional emission and exciton sorting in 1L-TMDC mediated by nanostructures and nanoantennas. We briefly discuss the optical properties of 1L-TMDCs paying special attention to their photoluminescence/absorption spectra, dynamics of valley depolarization, and the valley Hall effect. Then, we review recent works on nanostructures for valley-selective directional emission from 1L-TMDCs.

Nanophotonics with 2D transition metal dichalcogenides [Invited]

Two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have recently become attractive materials for several optoelectronic applications, such as photodetection, light harvesting, phototransistors, light-emitting diodes, and lasers. Their bandgap lies in the visible and near-IR range, and they possess strong excitonic resonances, high oscillator strengths, and valley-selective response. Coupling these materials to optical nanocavities enhances the quantum yield of exciton emission, enabling advanced quantum optics and nanophotonics devices. Here, we review the state-of-the-art advances of hybrid exciton-polariton structures based on monolayer TMDCs coupled to plasmonic and dielectric nanocavities. We discuss the optical properties of 2D WS₂, WSe₂, MoS₂ and MoSe₂ materials, paying special attention to their energy bands, photoluminescence/absorption spectra, excitonic fine structure, and to the dynamics of exciton formation and valley depolarization. We also discuss light-matter interactions in such hybrid exciton-polariton structures. Finally, we focus on weak and strong coupling regimes in monolayer TMDCs-based exciton-polariton systems, envisioning research directions and future opportunities for this material platform.

Surface mode with large field enhancement in dielectric-dimer-on-mirror structures

Plasmonic nanostructures with accessible and strongly enhanced fields are useful for a variety of applications related to surface-enhanced light-matter interaction. We describe a method to migrate localized fields from a metal to dielectric surface. By arranging low-index contrast dielectric dimers on an optically thick metal film, a narrow-linewidth resonant mode is formed through diffraction coupling, with accessible enhancement away from a metal surface. The enhancement in the electric field intensity is over 2000 by dielectric dimers with a 100 nm gap and 720 nm period, and the resonant linewidth is about 0.35 nm around the wavelength of 725 nm. The dispersion of this periodic structure allows resonant enhancement of not only emission but also excitation. The design principle provides a means to tune the narrow-linewidth resonance over a wide wavelength range from ultraviolet to near-infrared.

Two-dimensional light-emitting materials: preparation, properties and applications

We review the recent development in two-dimensional (2D) light-emitting materials and describe their preparation methods, optical/optoelectronic properties and applications.