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 (SiN_x) PhC slabs is presented. The symmetry-protected bound states in the continuum (BIC) in the SiN_x 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.