Angle-selective perfect absorption with two-dimensional materials

• Main Authors: Zhu, Linxiao (Author), Liu, Fengyuan (Author), Lin, Hongtao (Contributor), Hu, Juejun (Contributor), Yu, Zongfu (Author), Wang, Xinran (Author), Fan, Shanhui (Author)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Nature, 2017-10-13T20:30:10Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 Two-dimensional (2D) materials have great potential in photonic and optoelectronic devices. However, the relatively weak light absorption in 2D materials hinders their application in practical devices. Here, we propose a general approach to achieve angle-selective perfect light absorption in 2D materials. As a demonstration of the concept, we experimentally show giant light absorption by placing large-area single-layer graphene on a structure consisting of a chalcogenide layer atop a mirror and achieving a total absorption of 77.6% in the mid-infrared wavelength range (~13 μm), where the graphene contributes a record-high 47.2% absorptivity of mid-infrared light. Construction of such an angle-selective thin optical element is important for solar and thermal energy harvesting, photo-detection and sensing applications. Our study points to a new opportunity to combine 2D materials with photonic structures to enable novel device applications.