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Title: Achieving near-perfect light absorption in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides through band nesting
Abstract

Near-perfect light absorbers (NPLAs), with absorbance,$${{{{{{{\mathcal{A}}}}}}}}$$A, of at least 99%, have a wide range of applications ranging from energy and sensing devices to stealth technologies and secure communications. Previous work on NPLAs has mainly relied upon plasmonic structures or patterned metasurfaces, which require complex nanolithography, limiting their practical applications, particularly for large-area platforms. Here, we use the exceptional band nesting effect in TMDs, combined with a Salisbury screen geometry, to demonstrate NPLAs using only two or three uniform atomic layers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). The key innovation in our design, verified using theoretical calculations, is to stack monolayer TMDs in such a way as to minimize their interlayer coupling, thus preserving their strong band nesting properties. We experimentally demonstrate two feasible routes to controlling the interlayer coupling: twisted TMD bi-layers and TMD/buffer layer/TMD tri-layer heterostructures. Using these approaches, we demonstrate room-temperature values of$${{{{{{{\mathcal{A}}}}}}}}$$A=95% atλ=2.8 eV with theoretically predicted values as high as 99%. Moreover, the chemical variety of TMDs allows us to design NPLAs covering the entire visible range, paving the way for efficient atomically-thin optoelectronics.

 
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Award ID(s):
1921629 1921818
NSF-PAR ID:
10427964
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Nature Publishing Group
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Nature Communications
Volume:
14
Issue:
1
ISSN:
2041-1723
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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