Exciton optics, dynamics and transport in atomically thin semiconductors

TL;DR

This review summarizes recent advances in understanding exciton behavior in atomically thin semiconductors, emphasizing optical properties, dynamics, transport, and their implications for optoelectronic devices.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent experimental and theoretical progress, highlighting the impact of encapsulation, exciton-polaritons, and environmental factors on exciton phenomena.

Findings

Observation of many-particle states in optical spectra

Direct measurement of exciton formation and thermalization

Influence of strain and dielectric environment on exciton diffusion

Abstract

Atomically thin semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers exhibit a very strong Coulomb interaction, giving rise to a rich exciton landscape. This makes these materials highly attractive for efficient and tunable optoelectronic devices. In this article, we review the recent progress in the understanding of exciton optics, dynamics and transport, which crucially govern the operation of TMD-based devices. We highlight the impact of hBN-encapsulation, which reveals a plethora of many-particle states in optical spectra, and we outline the most novel breakthroughs in the field of exciton-polaritonics. Moreover, we underline the direct observation of exciton formation and thermalization in TMD monolayers and heterostructures in recent time-resolved ARPES studies. We also show the impact of exciton density, strain and dielectric environment on exciton diffusion and funneling. Finally, we put forward relevant research directions in the field of atomically thin semiconductors for the near future.