Monolayer-to-mesoscale modulation of the optical properties in 2D CrI3 mapped by hyperspectral microscopy

TL;DR

This study uses hyperspectral microscopy to map the optical properties of 2D CrI3 across different thicknesses, revealing a non-monotonic dependence that informs magneto-optical applications.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed mapping of the thickness-dependent optical dielectric function of CrI3 from monolayer to mesoscale using hyperspectral imaging.

Findings

Optical dielectric function varies non-monotonically with thickness.

Electronic properties of CrI3 are modified by layer number.

Results align with layer-dependent magnetism in CrI3.

Abstract

Magnetic 2D materials hold promise to change the miniaturization paradigm of unidirectional photonic components. However, the integration of these materials in devices hinges on the accurate determination of the optical properties down to the monolayer limit, which is still missing. By using hyperspectral wide-field imaging we reveal a non-monotonic thickness dependence of the complex optical dielectric function in the archetypal magnetic 2D material CrI3 extending across different length scales: onsetting at the mesoscale, peaking at the nanoscale and decreasing again down to the single layer. These results portray a modification of the electronic properties of the material and align with the layer-dependent magnetism in CrI3, shedding light into the long-standing structural conundrum in this material. The unique modulation of the complex dielectric function from the monolayer up to more than 100 layers will be instrumental for understanding and manipulating the magneto-optical effects of magnetic 2D materials.