Light from van der Waals quantum tunneling devices

TL;DR

This paper introduces van der Waals quantum tunneling devices that separate electronic and optical functions, enabling controlled light emission at the atomic scale with resonant enhancement, paving the way for advanced nanophotonic applications.

Contribution

The study presents a novel device architecture using 2D atomic crystals and external photonic structures to control light emission from quantum tunneling, with significant enhancement capabilities.

Findings

Inelastic tunneling emits photons and surface plasmon polaritons.

Coupling to optical nanocube antennas enhances emission rates by four orders of magnitude.

Device architecture allows independent control of electronic and optical properties.

Abstract

The understanding of and control over light emission from quantum tunneling has challenged researchers for more than four decades due to the intricate interplay of electrical and optical properties in atomic scale volumes. Here we introduce a device architecture that allows for the disentanglement of electronic and photonic pathways - van der Waals quantum tunneling devices. The electronic properties are defined by a stack of two-dimensional atomic crystals whereas the optical properties are controlled via an external photonic architecture. In van der Waals heterostructure made of gold, hexagonal boron nitride and graphene we find that inelastic tunneling results in the emission of photons and surface plasmon polaritons. By coupling these heterostructures to optical nanocube antennas we achieve resonant enhancement of the photon emission rate in narrow frequency bands by four orders of magnitude. Our results lead the way towards a new generation of nanophotonic devices that are driven by quantum tunneling.