Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2402.10180

Guiding light with surface exciton-polaritons in atomically thin superlattices

Sara A. Elrafei·T. V. Raziman·Sandra de Vega·F. Javier García de Abajo·Alberto G. Curto
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Two-dimensional materials give access to the ultimate physical limits of Photonics with appealing properties for ultracompact optical components such as waveguides and modulators. Specifically, in monolayer semiconductors, a strong excitonic resonance leads to a sharp oscillation in permittivity; at energies close to an exciton, the real part of the permittivity can reach high positive values or even become negative. This extreme optical response enables surface exciton-polaritons to guide visible light bound to an atomically thin layer. However, such ultrathin waveguides support a transverse electric (TE) mode with low confinement and a transverse magnetic (TM) mode with short propagation. Here, we propose that realistic semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor superlattices consisting of monolayer WS$_2$ and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) can improve the properties of both TE and TM modes. Compared to a single monolayer, a heterostructure with a 1-nm hBN spacer improves the confinement of the TE mode from 1.2 to around 0.5 $\mu$m, whereas the out-of-plane extension of the TM mode increases from 25 to 50 nm. We propose two simple additivity rules for mode confinement valid in the ultrathin film approximation for heterostructures with increasing spacer thickness. Stacking additional WS2 monolayers into superlattices further enhances the waveguiding properties. Our results underscore the potential of monolayer superlattices as a platform for visible nanophotonics with promising optical, electrical, and magnetic tunability

Explore related subjects

physics.opticscond-mat.mes-hall

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Sara A. Elrafei, T. V. Raziman, Sandra de Vega, F. Javier García de Abajo, Alberto G. Curto. 2024-02-15. Guiding light with surface exciton-polaritons in atomically thin superlattices. https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2024-0075

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Two-step high-accuracy microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis based on optical frequency combs

Broadband microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis are crucial for applications such as electronic warfare. However, when it comes to ultra wideband signal analysis, traditional electronic methods have high analysis accuracy, but intrinsic electronic bottlenecks limit their real-time analysis. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a two-step microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis method based on optical frequency combs. The system first performs coarse frequency localization over the 0-40 GHz range using stimulated-Brillouin-scattering-assisted frequency-to-time mapping (FTTM) and dual-comb channelized reception. The dual-comb is then reapplied for downconverting the signal under test, followed by digital signal processing to achieve high-accuracy unambiguous frequency extraction. Experimental results show that the system achieves mean single-tone frequency measurement errors of less than 10 kHz over 0-40 GHz. We further experimentally measure multi-tone, linearly frequency-modulated, and V-shaped frequency-modulated signals, demonstrating the proposed method's capability for analyzing complex signals.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2026

A Two-Mirror Faceted Projection System for EUV Lithography

We propose an all-reflective two-mirror projection system for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography operating at exposure wavelengths of $13.5$~nm (Mo/Si) and $11.2$~nm (Ru/Be), delivering a fourfold ($4\times$) demagnification of the periodic mask pattern at a numerical aperture approaching unity ($\mathrm{NA}_{\max} \approx 0.993$). In contrast to conventional EUV projection objectives that incorporate 6--10 aspheric mirrors with an overall optical throughput of less than $15\%$, the proposed design redirects each accepted discrete spatial diffraction order scattered by the mask onto the wafer via a dedicated pair of planar mirror facets. The number of reflections is strictly fixed at two for all accepted orders, retaining $50$--$60\%$ of the power leaving the mask in each accepted order. We derive a spatial geometry providing rigorous optical path length equalization across all diffraction orders, thereby removing order-dependent propagation phase shifts. Individually optimized 30-bilayer Bragg multilayer coatings are designed for each facet using the transfer matrix method combined with global evolutionary optimization algorithms. The architecture is generalized to a three-dimensional vector formulation with a two-dimensionally periodic mask. Utilizing inverse lithography technology, Fourier parameterization, and a differentiable electromagnetic modal waveguide solver, we solve the synthesis problem for binary absorber masks (La absorber on a Ru/Be/Sr multilayer mirror). We demonstrate simulated aerial images of sub-10-nm features on the wafer (isolated peaks with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of approximately $5.4$~nm and line pairs with a critical dimension of $6$~nm) and find that the two peaks remain resolved for the tested wafer defocus values from $0$ to $5$~nm along the $z$-axis.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2026

Antimony for broadband nanophotonics across the ultraviolet, visible and infrared

Semimetal elemental antimony (Sb) nanostructures show great potential for applications where nanophotonic properties play a key role, such as phase-change optical memories, non-linear optical elements, photothermal therapy agents, photodetectors and photocatalysts. However, designing advanced Sb-based photonic devices critically requires an accurate and reliable knowledge of the optical response of bulk and nanoscale Sb. Herein, we report for the first time a fully consistent and accurately measured dielectric function for Sb nanoscale films in a wide spectral range from the ultraviolet to the far infrared (4 - 0.04 eV, i.e. ~ 0.3 - 30 $\mu$m), surpassing previous reports that explored a limited spectral range. It is found that the Sb spectral response is driven exclusively by giant interband transitions in the visible up to mid infrared (4 - 0.4 eV, i.e. ~ 0.3 - 3 $\mu$m), and that their contribution dominates over that of free carriers down to 0.12 eV (i.e. ~ 10 $\mu$m). Such spectral response enables Sb nanostructures to display spectrally selective and tunable nanophotonic resonances. First, we showcase interband plasmonic resonances in the visible-to-near infrared for Sb nanogratings. Second, we report giant refractive index dielectric resonances in the mid infrared for nanostructured Sb/dielectric/metal resonant cavities. These findings open a pathway to optimized planar Sb nanoscale designs enabling a tailored light-matter interaction, which will be useful for integrated data, telecom, medical, optoelectronic and energy conversion devices operating in a broad spectral range.

physics.optics↗