In-plane optical anisotropy in ReS2 flakes determined by angle-resolved polarized optical contrast spectroscopy

Giant Optical Anisotropy in 2D Metal-Organic Chalcogenates

Optical anisotropy is a fundamental attribute of some crystalline materials and is quantified via birefringence. A birefringent crystal gives rise to not only asymmetrical light propagation but also attenuation along two distinct polarizations, a phenomenon called linear dichroism (LD). Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials with high in-plane and out-of-plane anisotropy have garnered interest in this regard. Mithrene, a 2D metal-organic chalcogenate (MOCHA) compound, exhibits strong excitonic resonances due to its naturally occurring multiquantum well (MQW) structure and in-plane anisotropic response in the blue wavelength (∼400-500 nm) regime. The MQW structure and the large refractive indices of mithrene allow the hybridization of the excitons with photons to form self-hybridized exciton-polaritons in mithrene crystals with appropriate thicknesses. Here, we report the giant birefringence (∼1.01) and the tunable in-plane anisotropic response of mithrene, which stem from its low symmetry crystal structure and strong excitonic properties. We show that the LD in mithrene can be tuned by leveraging the anisotropic exciton-polariton formation via the cavity coupling effect, exhibiting giant in-plane LD (∼77.1%) at room temperature. Our results indicate that mithrene is a polaritonic birefringent material for polarization-sensitive nanophotonic applications in the short wavelength regime.

Tunable giant Goos-Hänchen shift in Au-ReS2-graphene heterostructure

Enhancing and flexibly controlling the Goos-Hänchen (GH) shift directly is a significant challenge. Here, we report a tunable giant GH shift in a Au-ReS2-graphene heterostructure. The GH shift of this heterostructure demonstrates strong anisotropy and a unique "sign inversion" feature as the graphene reaches a specific thickness. Flexible control and enhancement of the GH shift to the centimeter scale can be achieved by simply rotating the crystallization direction of the heterostructure. Utilizing this feature, we designed an anisotropic refractive index sensor with a high sensitivity of 1.31 × 108 µm/RIU. This marks an order of magnitude improvement over previous research and introduces a rotation-dependent sensitivity adjustment feature. The tunable giant GH shift provides a promising approach for future designs of optical sensing and modulation devices.

Precise Crystal Orientation Identification and Twist-Induced Giant Modulation of Optical Anisotropy in 1T'-ReS2

The ability to precisely identify crystal orientation as well as to nondestructively modulate optical anisotropy in atomically thin rhenium dichalcogenides is critical for the future development of polarization programmable optoelectronic devices, which remains challenging. Here, we report a modified polarized optical imaging (POI) method capable of simultaneously identifying in-plane (Re chain) and out-of-plane (c-axis) crystal orientations of the monolayer to few-layer ReS2, meanwhile, propose a nondestructive approach to modulate the optical anisotropy in ReS2 via twist stacking. The results show that parallel and near-cross POI are effective to independently identify the in-plane and out-of-plane crystal orientations, respectively, while regulating the twist angle allows for giant modulation of in-plane optical anisotropy from highly intrinsic anisotropy to complete optical isotropy in the stacked ReS2 bilayer (with either the same or opposite c-axes), as well modeled by linear electromagnetic theory. Overall, this study not only develops a simple optical method for precise crystal orientation identification but also offers an efficient light polarization control strategy, which is a big step toward the practical application of anisotropic van der Waals materials in the design of nanophotonic and optoelectronic devices.

Identifying, Resolving, and Quantifying Anisotropy in ReS2 Nanomechanical Resonators

As an emerging two-dimensional semiconductor, rhenium disulfide (ReS₂ ) is renowned for its strong in-plane anisotropy in electrical, optical, and thermal properties. In contrast to the electrical, optical, optoelectrical, and thermal anisotropies that are extensively studied in ReS₂ , experimental characterization of mechanical properties has largely remained elusive. Here, it is demonstrated that the dynamic response in ReS₂ nanomechanical resonators can be leveraged to unambiguously resolve such disputes. Using anisotropic modal analysis, the parameter space for ReS₂ resonators in which mechanical anisotropy is best manifested in resonant responses is determined. By measuring their dynamic response in both spectral and spatial domains using resonant nanomechanical spectromicroscopy, it is clearly shown that ReS₂ crystal is mechanically anisotropic. Through fitting numerical models to experimental results, it is quantitatively determined that the in-plane Young's moduli are 127 and 201 GPa along the two orthogonal mechanical axes. In combination with polarized reflectance measurements, it is shown that the mechanical soft axis aligns with the Re-Re chain in the ReS₂ crystal. These results demonstrate that dynamic responses in nanomechanical devices can offer important insights into intrinsic properties in 2D crystals and provide design guidelines for future nanodevices with anisotropic resonant responses.

Van der Waals Heterostructures With Built-In Mie Resonances For Polarization-Sensitive Photodetection

Few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and their combination as van der Waals heterostructures provide a promising platform for high-performance optoelectronic devices. However, the ultrathin thickness of TMD flakes limits efficient light trapping and absorption, which triggers the hybrid construction with optical resonant cavities for enhanced light absorption. The optical structure enriched photodetectors can also be wavelength- and polarization-sensitive but require complicated fabrication. Herein, a new-type TMD-based photodetector embedded with nanoslits is proposed to enhance light trapping. Taking ReS₂ as an example, strong anisotropic Mie-type optical responses arising from the intrinsic in-plane anisotropy and nanoslit-enhanced anisotropy are discovered. Owing to the nanoslit-enhanced optical resonances and band engineering, excellent photodetection performances are demonstrated with high responsivity of 27 A W^-1 and short rise/decay times of 3.7/3.7 ms. More importantly, through controlling the angle between the nanoslit orientation and the polarization direction to excite different resonant modes, polarization-sensitive photodetectors with anisotropy ratios from 5.9 to 12.6 can be achieved, representing one of the most polarization-sensitive TMD-based photodetectors. The depth and orientation of nanoslits are demonstrated crucial for optimizing the anisotropy ratio. The findings bring an effective scheme to construct high-performance and polarization-sensitive photodetectors.

Rydberg polaritons in ReS2 crystals

Rhenium disulfide belongs to group VII transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with attractive properties such as exceptionally high refractive index and remarkable oscillator strength, large in-plane birefringence, and good chemical stability. Unlike most other TMDs, the peculiar optical properties of rhenium disulfide persist from bulk to the monolayer, making this material potentially suitable for applications in optical devices. In this work, we demonstrate with unprecedented clarity the strong coupling between cavity modes and excited states, which results in a strong polariton interaction, showing the interest of these materials as a solid-state counterpart of Rydberg atomic systems. Moreover, we definitively clarify the nature of important spectral features, shedding light on some controversial aspects or incomplete interpretations and demonstrating that their origin is due to the interesting combination of the very high refractive index and the large oscillator strength expressed by these TMDs.

Strain and Interference Synergistically Modulated Optical and Electrical Properties in ReS2/Graphene Heterojunction Bubbles

Two-dimensional (2D) material bubbles, as a straightforward method to induce strain, represent a potentially powerful platform for the modulation of different properties of 2D materials and the exploration of their strain-related applications. Here, we prepare ReS₂/graphene heterojunction bubbles (ReS₂/gr heterobubbles) and investigate their strain and interference synergistically modulated optical and electrical properties. We perform Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectra to verify the continuously varying strain and the microcavity induced optical interference in ReS₂/gr heterobubbles. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is carried out to explore the photogenerated carrier transfer behavior in both strained ReS₂/gr heterobubbles and ReS₂/gr interfaces, as well as the oscillation of surface potential caused by optical interference under illumination conditions. Moreover, the switching of in-plane crystal orientation and the modulation of optical anisotropy of ReS₂/gr heterobubbles are observed by azimuth-dependent reflectance difference microscopy (ADRDM), which can be attributed to the action of both strain effect and interference. Our study proves that the optical and electrical properties can be effectively modulated by the synergistical effect of strain and interference in a 2D material bubble.

Precise Determination of Offset between Optical Axis and Re-Chain Direction in Rhenium Disulfide

ReS₂ is a group-VII chalcogenide with a crystal structure that has inversion symmetry only. Due to the low symmetry, it has in-plane anisotropy, and the two vertical orientations are not equivalent. The in-plane anisotropy leads to optical birefringence that can be observed by using polarized optical microscopy. We found ReS₂ crystals with domains of inequivalent vertical orientations but with the same Re-chain directions. Polarized Raman spectroscopy was used to determine the vertical orientations and the b-axis (Re-chain) directions of the domains, and high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements confirmed that the Re-chain directions of the two types of the neighboring domains are exactly parallel. From polarized optical reflectivity measurements of the two types of domains, we found that the optical slow axis is not along the b-axis as previously believed but is tilted by ∼2.4° from the b-axis of the crystal. This offset makes the two neighboring domains with parallel Re-chains optically inequivalent and enables one to observe optical contrast between the two types of domains in polarized optical microscopy. We propose a quick and easy method to determine the crystallographic orientations of such domains by using polarized optical microscopy only.

Analyzing Anisotropy in 2D Rhenium Disulfide Using Dichromatic Polarized Reflectance

In-plane anisotropy in 2D rhenium disulfide (ReS₂ ) offers intriguing opportunities for designing future electronic and optical devices, and toward such applications, it is crucial to identify the crystal orientation in such 2D anisotropic materials. Existing spectroscopy or electron microscopy methods for determining the crystalline orientation often require complicated sample preparing procedures and specialized equipment, which could sometimes limit their application. In this work, a dichromatic polarized reflectance method is demonstrated, which can quickly and accurately resolve the crystal orientation (Re-Re chain) in 2D ReS₂ crystals with different thicknesses. Furthermore, it can be readily extended to multi-chromatic schemes to achieve greater measurement capability and can be easily tailored to work for different 2D materials. The method offers a simple and effective approach for studying anisotropy in 2D materials.

Anomalous polarization pattern evolution of Raman modes in few-layer ReS2 by angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy

Low-symmetry of ReS₂ has not only in-plane but also out-of-plane anisotropic light scattering, which is complicated, yet interesting with intrinsic strong electron-phonon coupling. In such a case, the Raman tensor also gets sophisticated with nine non-zero elements, which is layer-dependent for different Raman modes. Herein, we systematically investigated the polarization pattern evolution of both in-plane and out-of-plane Raman modes of few-layer ReS₂ by angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy. We found that in-plane Raman modes with less layer-dependence could be used to determine the crystal orientation (Re-chain direction) due to the weak electron-phonon interaction between layers. However, the out-of-plane and mixed vibration Raman modes demonstrate much evident layer-dependence due to the obvious electron-phonon interaction between layers. As such, the polarization patterns for the out-of-plane vibration Raman modes are distorted with layers in not only petal types but also maximum Raman intensity directions. This distortion is mainly due to the phase difference between Raman elements, which are complex values due to the near bandgap excitation laser. The results reveal that deep insights into anisotropy in low-symmetry two-dimensional materials could afford not only rich physics but also potential polarized optoelectronic devices.

In-plane anisotropic 2D Ge-based binary materials for optoelectronic applications

In-plane anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) materials possess unique in-plane anisotropic physical properties arising from their low crystal lattice symmetry.

Distinctive Interfacial Charge Behavior and Versatile Photoresponse Performance in Isotropic/Anisotropic WS2/ReS2 Heterojunctions

Van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructures based on in-plane isotropic/anisotropic 2D-layered semiconducting materials have recently received wide attention because of their unique interlayer coupling properties and hold a bright future as building blocks for advanced photodetectors. However, a fundamental understanding of charge behavior inside this kind of heterostructure in the photoexcited state remains elusive. In this work, we carry out a systematic investigation into the photoinduced interfacial charge behavior in type-II WS₂/ReS₂ vertical heterostructures via polarization-dependent pump-probe microscopy. Benefiting from the distinctive (ultrafast and anisotropic) charge-transfer mechanisms, the photodetector based on the WS₂/ReS₂ heterojunction displays more superior optoelectronic properties compared to its constituents with diverse functionalities including moderate photoresponsivity, polarization sensitivity, and fast photoresponse speed. Additionally, this device can function as a self-driven photodetector without the external bias. These results of our work tangibly corroborate the intriguing interlayer interaction in in-plane isotropic/anisotropic heterostructures and are expected to shed light on designing balanced-performance multifunctional optoelectrical devices.

All-Dry Transferred ReS2 Nanosheets for Ultrasensitive Room-Temperature NO2 Sensing under Visible Light Illumination

For gas sensing applications, most of the reported two-dimensional (2D) materials are suffering from relatively low sensitivity and high limit of detection (LOD) at room temperature. In this work, we selected rhenium disulfide (ReS₂) nanosheets to fabricate ReS₂ transistor-based gas sensors (RTGSs) with ultrahigh sensitivity and low LOD toward nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). The ReS₂ nanosheets with different thicknesses were prepared via mechanical exfoliation and all-dry transfer method. Under 405 nm light illumination at room temperature (25 °C), the fabricated gas sensors showed a significant enhancement of the response with full reversibility toward ppb level NO₂ (response of 9.07 at 500 ppb, a LOD of 50 ppb). In particular, the total response and recovery time of the RTGS was revealed to be less than 4 minutes (55 and 180 s, respectively), which is one of the top three shortest response and recovery times toward ppb level NO₂ of the reported 2D material-based room-temperature gas sensors so far. Via Raman spectrometry, Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), the structure and gas sensing mechanism of the materials were systematically investigated. It was confirmed that the electrons transfer from the ReS₂ surface to NO₂ molecules, inducing the hole doping of ReS₂, which consequently increased the sensor resistance. Moreover, the concentration of the photogenerated carriers in ReS₂ would accordingly be promoted by light illumination, which accounts for the substantial light enhancement of the gas sensing performance of RTGSs.