Exploring van der Waals materials with high anisotropy: geometrical and optical approaches

TL;DR

This paper introduces a geometrical and optical approach to identify highly anisotropic van der Waals materials, exemplified by discovering As2S3 with exceptional optical properties suitable for advanced nanophotonics.

Contribution

The authors propose a novel, straightforward method combining crystallographic and optical analysis to efficiently find highly anisotropic vdW materials, demonstrated by identifying As2S3.

Findings

As2S3 exhibits giant in-plane optical anisotropy

As2S3 has high refractive index and visible transparency

As2S3 enables ultrathin zero-order quarter-waveplates

Abstract

The emergence of van der Waals (vdW) materials resulted in the discovery of their giant optical, mechanical, and electronic anisotropic properties, immediately enabling countless novel phenomena and applications. Such success inspired an intensive search for the highest possible anisotropic properties among vdW materials. Furthermore, the identification of the most promising among the huge family of vdW materials is a challenging quest requiring innovative approaches. Here, we suggest an easy-to-use method for such a survey based on the crystallographic geometrical perspective of vdW materials followed by their optical characterization. Using our approach, we found As2S3 as a highly anisotropic vdW material. It demonstrates rare giant in-plane optical anisotropy, high refractive index and transparency in the visible range, overcoming the century-long record set by rutile. Given these benefits, As2S3 opens a pathway towards next-generation nanophotonics as demonstrated by an ultrathin true zero-order quarter-waveplate that combines classical and the Fabry-Perot optical phase accumulations. Hence, our approach provides an effective and easy-to-use method to find vdW materials with the utmost anisotropic properties.