Photonic integrated circuit polarizers based on 2D materials

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in optical polarizers made from 2D materials, highlighting their unique properties, device implementations, and future challenges and opportunities in photonic systems.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of 2D material-based optical polarizers, categorizing different device types and discussing their potential for future technological developments.

Findings

2D materials enable high-performance optical polarizers with unique features.

Various device architectures like spatial light, fiber, and integrated waveguide polarizers are reviewed.

Current challenges include material integration and device scalability.

Abstract

Optical polarizers are essential components for the selection and manipulation of light polarization states in optical systems. Over the past decade, the rapid advancement of photonic technologies and devices has led to the development of a range of novel optical polarizers, opening avenues for many breakthroughs and expanding applications across diverse fields. Particularly, two dimensional (2D) materials, known for their atomic thin film structures and unique optical properties, have become attractive for implementing optical polarizers with high performance and new features that were not achievable before. This paper reviews recent progress in 2D material based optical polarizers. First, an overview of key properties of various 2D materials for realizing optical polarizers is provided. Next, the state of the art optical polarizers based on 2D materials, which are categorized into spatial light devices, fiber devices, and integrated waveguide devices, are reviewed and compared. Finally, we discuss the current challenges of this field as well as the exciting opportunities for future technological advances.