Tutorial: Exciton resonances for atomically-thin optics

TL;DR

This tutorial explores how exciton resonances in atomically thin 2D semiconductors can revolutionize metasurface optics by enabling highly tunable, strong light-matter interactions, with potential for electrically-controlled nanophotonic devices.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of exciton physics and their integration into metasurfaces, highlighting their unique tunability and potential for advanced optical applications.

Findings

Excitons enable highly tunable optical resonances in atomically thin materials.

Coupling excitons with metasurfaces enhances light-matter interactions.

Electrically-tunable nanophotonic devices have been demonstrated using excitons.

Abstract

Metasurfaces enable flat optical elements by leveraging optical resonances in metallic or dielectric nanoparticles to obtain accurate control over the amplitude and phase of the scattered light. While highly efficient, these resonances are static and difficult to tune actively. Exciton resonances in atomically thin 2D semiconductors provide a novel and uniquely strong resonant light-matter interaction, which presents a new opportunity for optical metasurfaces. Their resonant properties are intrinsic to the band structure of the material and do not rely on nanoscale patterns and are highly tunable using external stimuli. In this tutorial, we present the role that excitons resonances can play for atomically-thin optics. We describe the essentials of metasurface physics, provide a background on exciton physics, as well as a comprehensive overview of excitonic materials. Excitons demonstrate to provide new degrees of freedom and enhanced light-matter interactions in hybrid metasurfaces through coupling with metallic and dielectric metasurfaces. Using the high sensitivity of excitons to the medium's electron density, the first demonstrations of electrically-tunable nanophotonic devices and atomically-thin optical elements are also discussed. The future of excitons in metasurfaces looks promising, while the main challenge lies in large-area growth and precise integration of high-quality materials.