Greatly Enhanced Resonant Exciton-Trion Conversion in Electrically Modulated Atomically Thin WS2 at Room Temperature

Abstract

Excitonic resonance in atomically thin semiconductors offers a favorite platform to study 2D nanophotonics in both classical and quantum regimes and promises potentials for highly tunable and ultra-compact optical devices. The understanding of charge density dependent exciton-trion conversion is the key for revealing the underlaying physics of optical tunability. Nevertheless, the insufficient and inefficient light-matter interactions hinder the observation of trionic phenomenon and the development of excitonic devices for dynamic power-efficient electro-optical applications. Here, by engaging an optical cavity with atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), greatly enhanced exciton-trion conversion is demonstrated at room temperature (RT) and achieve electrical modulation of reflectivity of ≈40% at exciton and 7% at trion state, which correspondingly enables a broadband large phase tuning in monolayer tungsten disulfide. Besides the absorptive conversion, ≈100% photoluminescence conversion from excitons to trions is observed at RT, illustrating a clear physical mechanism of an efficient exciton-trion conversion for extraordinary optical performance. The results indicate that both excitons and trions can play significant roles in electrical modulation of the optical parameters of TMDCs at RT. The work shows the real possibility for realizing electrical tunable and multi-functional ultra-thin optical devices using 2D materials.