Finite-Area Membrane Metasurfaces for Enhancing Light-Matter Coupling in Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are at the forefront of nanophotonics because of their exceptional optical characteristics. The 2D architecture of TMDCs facilitates efficient light absorption and emission, holding tantalizing potential for next-generation nanophotonic and quantum devices. Yet, the atomic thinness limits their interaction volume with light, affecting light-matter interaction and quantum efficiency. The light coupling in the 2D layered TMDCs can be enhanced by integration with photonic structure, and the metasurfaces supporting bound states in the continuum (BICs) offer strong confinement of optical fields, ideal for coupling with 2D TMDCs. Here, we demonstrate enhanced light-matter coupling by integrating TMDC monolayers, including WSe₂ and MoS₂, with a finite-area membrane metasurface, leading to amplified and high-quality-factor (<i>Q</i>-factor) spontaneous emission from quasi-BIC-coupled TMDC monolayers. The high-<i>Q</i>-factor emission extends over an area with a scale of a few micrometers while maintaining the high-<i>Q</i> factor across the emission area. Notably, the suspended finite-area membrane metasurface, which is freestanding in air rather than positioned atop a substrate, minimizes radiation loss while enhancing light-matter interaction in the TMDC monolayer. Furthermore, the predominantly in-plane dipole orientation of excitons within TMDC monolayers results in distinctive enhancement behaviors for emission, contingent on the excitation power, when coupled with quasi-BIC modes exhibiting TE and TM resonances. This work introduces a nanophotonic platform for robust coupling of membrane metasurfaces with 2D materials, offering possibilities for developing 2D material-based nanophotonic and quantum devices.