> 2{\pi} Phase Modulation using Exciton-Polaritons in a Two-Dimensional Superlattice

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a 2.02π phase modulation in a 2D WS2-based quantum well structure by electrostatic doping, enabling compact optical modulators for LiDAR and communications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel exciton-polariton based phase modulation technique in a 2D material structure, achieving large phase shifts with electrostatic control.

Findings

Achieved 2.02π radians of phase modulation.

Transitioned from strongly to weakly coupled exciton-polaritons.

Potential for compact electro-optical modulators in visible spectrum.

Abstract

Active metamaterials promise to enable arbitrary, temporal control over the propagation of wavefronts of light for applications such as beam steering, optical communication modulators, and holograms. This has been done in the past using patterned silicon photonics to locally control the phase of light such that the metasurface acts as a large number of wavelets. Although phase modulation only requires refractive index modulation when the interaction length is on the order of the wavelength, this is not enough to significantly modulate the phase of light in flatland. Instead, phase modulation is achieved using a resonant mode such as a plasmon or high-Q cavity mode that enable light to accumulate a large amount of phase over a short distance and coupling it to an active material that modulates the light-matter interactions. Here, we report that electrostatic doping can modulate the light-matter interaction strength of a two-dimensional WS2 based multi quantum well (MQW) structure going from strongly-coupled, phase-accumulating exciton-polaritons to weakly-coupled exciton-trion-polaritons. As a result of this transition, 2.02{\pi} radians of phase modulation is observed using spectroscopic ellipsometry. This result demonstrates the potential of the MQW structure as a compact, lightweight electro-optical modulators for LiDAR and optical communications in the red region of visible spectrum.