Ultra-large nonlinear parameters and all-optical modulation of a transition metal dichalcogenides on silicon waveguide

Tianyang Ding; Siqin Xu; Xianlong Sun

doi:10.1038/s41598-024-83898-z

Ultra-large nonlinear parameters and all-optical modulation of a transition metal dichalcogenides on silicon waveguide

Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 2;15(1):120. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-83898-z.

Authors

Tianyang Ding¹, Siqin Xu², Xianlong Sun²

Affiliations

¹ MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China. 2021023336@m.scnu.edu.cn.
² MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.

Abstract

We integrate monolayer TMDCs into silicon-on-insulation (SOI) waveguides and dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton (DLSPP) waveguides to enhance nonlinear parameters (γ) of silicon-based waveguides. By optimizing the waveguide geometry, we have achieved significantly improved γ. In MoSe₂-on-SOI and MoSe₂-in-DLSPP waveguide with optimized geometry, the maximum γ at the excitonic resonant peak (λ_p) is 5001.87 W^-1m^-1 and 119111.94 W^-1m^-1 respectively for each case. Based on this, we designed all-optical TMDCs-on-SOI phase and extinction waveguide modulators, achieving π-phase and 3 dB modulation with millimeter-scale modulation lengths under an optical pump intensity of 1 GW/[Formula: see text] at the optical communication wavelengths of 1310 nm and 1550 nm. At the λ_p of MoSe₂, a modulation length of only 75 [Formula: see text]m is required for π-phase modulation, while a modulation length of 1.36 mm is sufficient for 3 dB modulation. Our work provides new insights for achieving miniaturized and low-power optical communication and networking applications.