2D semiconductors as integrated light sources for plasmonic waveguides

Abstract

2D materials are compatible with many material platforms as they adhere to other materials strictly by van der Waals interactions. This, together with the variety of band gaps found among transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), makes them uniquely interesting to study for on-chip light sources, as the photonic integrated circuit (PIC) industry is developing into several material platforms depending on the application (gold, silicon, silicon nitride, indium phosphide, etc). 2D materials could thus potentially provide a universal on-chip light source (and detector) scheme for all PIC platforms in the future. Here we show recent results on how exfoliated monolayer TMDC flakes can be integrated with plasmonic slot-waveguides and plasmonic dipole antenna couplers to inject their photoluminescence into plasmonic waveguides as a first step towards future on-chip light sources for such systems.