MoS₂ monolayers on nanocavities: enhancement in light–matter interaction

Two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals and van der Waals heterostructures constitute an emerging platform for developing new functional ultra-thin electronic and optoelectronic materials for novel energy-efficient devices. However, in most thin-film optical applications, there is a long-existing trade-off between the effectiveness of light–matter interactions and the thickness of semiconductor materials, especially when the materials are scaled down to atom thick dimensions. Consequently, enhancement strategies can introduce significant advances to these atomically thick materials and devices. Here we demonstrate enhanced absorption and photoluminescence generation from MoS₂ monolayers coupled with a planar nanocavity. This nanocavity consists of an alumina nanolayer spacer sandwiched between monolayer MoS₂ and an aluminum reflector, and can strongly enhance the light–matter interaction within the MoS₂, increasing the exclusive absorption of monolayer MoS₂ to nearly 70% at a wavelength of 450 nm. The nanocavity also modifies the spontaneous emission rate, providing an additional design freedom to control the interaction between light and 2D materials. (paper)