Reconfigurable exciton-plasmon interconversion for nanophotonic circuits.

Area of Science:

• Nanophotonics and Optoelectronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Improving nanoelectronic operation speed requires on-chip light manipulation.
• Hybrid plasmonic waveguides with low-dimensional semiconductors offer potential for sub-diffraction optics.
• Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising for optoelectronics due to strong exciton-plasmon interactions and tunable bandgaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate on-chip optical communication functionalities using reconfigurable exciton-plasmon interconversions.
• To realize active optical components for integrated nanophotonic circuits.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of silver nanowire (Ag-NW) overlapping onto two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) transistors.
• Device configuration adjustments to achieve different optical communication functions.
• Characterization of field-effect exciton transistors, multiplexers, and plasmon detectors.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of field-effect exciton transistors with a channel length of ~32 μm.
• Realization of field-effect exciton multiplexers transmitting multiple signals over a single nanowire.
• Development of electrical detectors for propagating plasmons with a high On/Off ratio of ~190.

Conclusions:

• Two-dimensional semiconductors enable reconfigurable device architectures for integrated nanophotonic circuits.
• The demonstrated components are key for advancing on-chip optical communications.
• This work highlights the potential of TMDs in next-generation nanoelectronic devices.