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Efficient and Tunable Reflection of Phonon Polaritons at Built‐In Intercalation Interfaces
Author(s) -
Wu Yingjie,
Ou Qingdong,
Dong Shaohua,
Hu Guangwei,
Si Guangyuan,
Dai Zhigao,
Qiu ChengWei,
Fuhrer Michael S.,
Mokkapati Sudha,
Bao Qiaoliang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.202008070
Subject(s) - polariton , phonon , materials science , van der waals force , condensed matter physics , surface plasmon polariton , optoelectronics , plasmon , surface phonon , surface plasmon , physics , quantum mechanics , molecule
Phonon polaritons—light coupled to lattice vibrations—in polar van der Waals crystals offer unprecedented opportunities for controlling light at the nanoscale due to their anisotropic and ultralow‐loss propagation. While their analog plasmon polaritons—light coupled to electron oscillations—have long been studied and exhibit interesting reflections at geometrical edges and electronic boundaries, whether phonon polaritons can be reflected by such barriers has been elusive. Here, the effective and tunable reflection of phonon polaritons at embedded interfaces formed in hydrogen‐intercalated α‐MoO 3 flakes is elaborated upon. Without breaking geometrical continuity, such intercalation interfaces can reflect phonon polaritons with low losses, yielding the distinct phase changes of −0.8π and −0.3π associated with polariton propagation, high efficiency of 50%, and potential electrical tunability. The results point to a new approach to construct on‐demand polariton reflectors, phase modulators, and retarders, which may be transplanted into building future polaritonic circuits using van der Waals crystals.