Large-scale quantum-emitter arrays in atomically thin semiconductors

Quantum light emitters have been observed in atomically thin layers of transition metal dichalcogenides. However, they are found at random locations within the host material and usually in low densities, hindering experiments aiming to investigate this new class of emitters. Here, we create determin...

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Published inNature communications Vol. 8; no. 1; p. 15093
Main Authors Palacios-Berraquero, Carmen, Kara, Dhiren M., Montblanch, Alejandro R.-P., Barbone, Matteo, Latawiec, Pawel, Yoon, Duhee, Ott, Anna K., Loncar, Marko, Ferrari, Andrea C., Atatüre, Mete
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 22.05.2017
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
140/125
140/133
639/301/1019/482
639/301/357/1018
639/766/1130/2799
639/766/483/3925
Arrays
Humanities and Social Sciences
Microscopy
multidisciplinary
Physics
Quantum Physics
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Semiconductors
United Kingdom > UK
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Summary:Quantum light emitters have been observed in atomically thin layers of transition metal dichalcogenides. However, they are found at random locations within the host material and usually in low densities, hindering experiments aiming to investigate this new class of emitters. Here, we create deterministic arrays of hundreds of quantum emitters in tungsten diselenide and tungsten disulphide monolayers, emitting across a range of wavelengths in the visible spectrum (610–680 nm and 740–820 nm), with a greater spectral stability than their randomly occurring counterparts. This is achieved by depositing monolayers onto silica substrates nanopatterned with arrays of 150-nm-diameter pillars ranging from 60 to 190 nm in height. The nanopillars create localized deformations in the material resulting in the quantum confinement of excitons. Our method may enable the placement of emitters in photonic structures such as optical waveguides in a scalable way, where precise and accurate positioning is paramount. Quantum emitters have been recently isolated in 2D materials, yet their spatial controllability remains an open challenge. Here, the authors devise a method to create arrays of quantum emitters in WSe 2 and WS 2 , by taking advantage of the strain distribution induced by a nanopatterned silica substrate.
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These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/ncomms15093