EFRI NewLAW: CMOS-Compatible Electrically Controlled Nonreciprocal Light Propagation with 2D Materials

提出的工作解决了一组光子器件的研究，表现出非互易光传播特性的基础上原子级薄的二维材料下的电偏压。在宽波长范围内实现电驱动的非互易光传播对于许多光子技术领域（如光学成像、传感和通信）将是变革性的。科学上，该计划将使光学界加深对强外部刺激下二维和分层材料中电光特性和光-物质相互作用的基本理解。拟议的研究还可能通过与行业伙伴的合作，使发明实现商业化。此外，拟议的方案代表了一种凝聚力，它将先进的研究和教育以及扩大参与活动结合在一起。团队成员积极参与本科生和研究生的教学，并将最新的研究成果融入他们的教育活动，从而为未来的光子学和半导体行业的劳动力提供高级培训机会。此外，他们将利用该计划提供的研究机会，提高高中生的参与，特别是那些代表性不足的群体。该团队将通过期刊出版物、会议演讲或新闻发布等方式，通过大学和普通媒体及时向更广泛的社会传播这项拟议研究的结果，以提高公众对科学研究重要性的认识。打破时间反演对称性的非互易光子器件可以用于诸如现代光子系统的光学隔离和循环等关键应用。因此，非互易性器件有可能改变光子学中的广泛领域，例如片上光学信息处理、通信和成像。实现非互易性的传统方法主要依赖于庞大的结构来实现实质性的磁光法拉第旋转，并且器件通常占用很大的基底面，这对集成光子系统提出了重大挑战。在这个NewLAW项目中，该团队提出开发在可见光到中红外的宽波长范围内工作的电驱动非互易光子器件，方法是利用原子级薄二维材料中的电偏压，利用可广泛调谐的光-物质相互作用。该团队由五名主要研究人员组成，他们具有不同的背景，包括基础光学物理，光子器件设计，二维材料合成以及器件实现和表征。为了在这种紧凑的光子器件中实现非互易性，该团队将利用二维过渡金属二硫属化物材料中折射率的巨大可调性，通过电门控和高迁移率石墨烯中的等离子体多普勒效应，在平面电流的存在下，由理论研究和器件性能预测指导。该计划中提出的非互易光子器件与流行的互补金属氧化物半导体（CMOS）电路完全兼容，使其在集成系统中具有很大的吸引力。这项研究不仅将大大推进对存在外部刺激的二维材料的光-物质相互作用的基本理解，而且还将解决现代光子科学中最具挑战性的问题之一：芯片级的电驱动光学非互易性。

The proposed work addresses the investigation of a group of photonic devices exhibiting nonreciprocal light-propagating properties based on atomically thin two-dimensional materials under electric bias. The realization of electrically driven nonreciprocal light propagation in a broad wavelength range will be transformative for many photonic technological areas such as optical imaging, sensing and communications. Scientifically, this program will allow optics community to deepen the fundamental understanding of electro-optical properties and light-matter interaction in two dimensional and layered materials under strong external stimuli. The proposed research may also lead to possible commercialization of inventions through the collaboration with industry partners. Moreover, the proposed program represents a cohesive effort which integrates advanced research and educational and broadening participation activities. The team members are actively involved in teaching of both undergraduate and graduate students and they will incorporate the latest research findings into their educational activities, thus providing advanced training opportunities for future workforce in photonics and semiconductor industries. Furthermore, they will leverage the research opportunities provided by this program to enhance the participation of high school students especially for those from underrepresented groups. The team will disseminate the results of this proposed research in a timely manner to a broader society through journal publications, conference presentations, or news release through the university and general media to promote the public awareness of the importance of scientific research. Nonreciprocal photonic devices that break the time-reversal symmetry can be used for critical applications such as optical isolation and circulation for modern photonic systems. Thus, non-reciprocity devices have the potential to transform a wide range of fields in photonics, such as on-chip optical information processing, communication, and imaging. The conventional approach to achieve nonreciprocity mainly relies on bulky structures to realize substantial magneto-optic Faraday rotation, and the devices usually occupy a large footprint, posing significant challenges in integrated photonic systems. In this NewLAW project, the team proposes to develop electrically driven nonreciprocal photonic devices operating in a broad wavelength range from visible to mid-infrared by exploiting the widely tunable light-matter interaction using electric bias in atomically thin two-dimensional materials. The team consists of five principal investigators with a diverse range of background including fundamental optical physics, photonic device design, two-dimensional materials synthesis, and device realization and characterizations. To realize nonreciprocity in such compact photonic devices, the team will leverage the giant tunability of refractive index in two-dimensional transitional metal dichalcogenides materials by electrical gating and the plasmon Doppler Effect in high mobility graphene in the presence of in-plane electrical current, guided by theoretical investigations and device performance predictions. The non-reciprocal photonic devices proposed in this program are fully compatible with the popular complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuits, making them highly attractive in integrated systems. The proposed research will not only significantly advance the fundamental understanding of the light-matter interaction of two-dimensional materials with the presence of external stimuli, but also address one of the most challenging issues in modern photonic science: electrically driven optical non-reciprocity at chip-scale.