Coherent Excitation and Control of Plasmons on Gold Using Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Direct nano-imaging of light-matter interactions in nanoscale excitonic emitters

Strong light-matter interactions in localized nano-emitters placed near metallic mirrors have been widely reported via spectroscopic studies in the optical far-field. Here, we report a near-field nano-spectroscopic study of localized nanoscale emitters on a flat Au substrate. Using quasi 2-dimensional CdSe/Cd_xZn_1-xS nanoplatelets, we observe directional propagation on the Au substrate of surface plasmon polaritons launched from the excitons of the nanoplatelets as wave-like fringe patterns in the near-field photoluminescence maps. These fringe patterns were confirmed via extensive electromagnetic wave simulations to be standing-waves formed between the tip and the edge-up assembled nano-emitters on the substrate plane. We further report that both light confinement and in-plane emission can be engineered by tuning the surrounding dielectric environment of the nanoplatelets. Our results lead to renewed understanding of in-plane, near-field electromagnetic signal transduction from the localized nano-emitters with profound implications in nano and quantum photonics as well as resonant optoelectronics.

Observation of Multi-Directional Energy Transfer in a Hybrid Plasmonic-Excitonic Nanostructure

Hybrid plasmonic devices involve a nanostructured metal supporting localized surface plasmons to amplify light-matter interaction, and a non-plasmonic material to functionalize charge excitations. Application-relevant epitaxial heterostructures, however, give rise to ballistic ultrafast dynamics that challenge the conventional semiclassical understanding of unidirectional nanometal-to-substrate energy transfer. Epitaxial Au nanoislands are studied on WSe₂ with time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and femtosecond electron diffraction: this combination of techniques resolves material, energy, and momentum of charge-carriers and phonons excited in the heterostructure. A strong non-linear plasmon-exciton interaction that transfers the energy of sub-bandgap photons very efficiently to the semiconductor is observed, leaving the metal cold until non-radiative exciton recombination heats the nanoparticles on hundreds of femtoseconds timescales. The results resolve a multi-directional energy exchange on timescales shorter than the electronic thermalization of the nanometal. Electron-phonon coupling and diffusive charge-transfer determine the subsequent energy flow. This complex dynamics opens perspectives for optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications, while providing a constraining experimental testbed for state-of-the-art modelling.

Ultrafast Thermionic Electron Injection Effects on Exciton Formation Dynamics at a van der Waals Semiconductor/Metal Interface

Inorganic van der Waals bonded semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenides are the subject of intense research due to their electronic and optical properties which are promising for next-generation optoelectronic devices. In this context, understanding the carrier dynamics, as well as charge and energy transfer at the interface between metallic contacts and semiconductors, is crucial and yet quite unexplored. Here, we present an experimental study to measure the effect of mutual interaction between thermionically injected and directly excited carriers on the exciton formation dynamics in bulk WS₂. By employing a pump-push-probe scheme, where a pump pulse induces thermionic injection of electrons from a gold substrate into the conduction band of the semiconductor, and another delayed push pulse that excites direct transitions in the WS₂, we can isolate the two processes experimentally and thus correlate the mutual interaction with its effect on the ultrafast dynamics in WS₂. The fast decay time constants extracted from the experiments show a decrease with an increasing ratio between the injected and directly excited charge carriers, thus disclosing the impact of thermionic electron injection on the exciton formation dynamics. Our findings might offer a new vibrant direction for the integration of photonics and electronics, especially in active and photodetection devices, and, more in general, in upcoming all-optical nanotechnologies.