Observation of hyperbolic intersubband polaritons in native-dielectric-doped van der Waals semiconductor quantum wells

Yue Luo (), Dapeng Ding, Andres M. Mier Valdivia, Daniel T. Larson, Song Liu, Hong Kuan Ng, Jing Wu, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Efthimios Kaxiras, Hongkun Park, Philip Kim and William L. Wilson ()
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Yue Luo: Southeast University, School of Electronic Science and Engineering
Dapeng Ding: Harvard University, Department of Physics
Andres M. Mier Valdivia: Harvard University, Department of Physics
Daniel T. Larson: Harvard University, Department of Physics
Song Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microelectronics
Hong Kuan Ng: Harvard University, Department of Physics
Jing Wu: Southeast University, School of Electronic Science and Engineering
Kenji Watanabe: International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science
Takashi Taniguchi: National Institute for Materials Science, Research Center for Functional Materials Science
Efthimios Kaxiras: Harvard University, Department of Physics
Hongkun Park: Harvard University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Philip Kim: Harvard University, Department of Physics
William L. Wilson: Harvard University, Center for Nanoscale Systems

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Highly doped semiconductor quantum wells (QWs) exhibit strong intersubband transitions resulting from nanoscale electron confinement. Coupling photons to these collective dipoles in this anisotropic quantum structure enables intersubband polaritons with strong nonlinear optical response and hyperbolicity. Analogous to epitaxially grown multi-quantum wells, two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) semiconductor heterostructures provide a compelling alternative platform, offering additional degrees of freedom and exceptional optoelectronic properties. Here we report intersubband polaritons in multilayer vdW WSe2 QWs with broadband tunability. By oxidizing the top WSe2 layer into a self-limiting native oxide, we activate charge transfer–induced efficient, high-density doping, enabling strong intersubband transitions and directly visualized polariton propagation. Lithographically defined nanostructures reveal their hyperbolic nature and sub-diffractional confinement, while electrostatic gating offers dynamic dispersion control. These results position vdW multilayers as a highly adaptable platform for tunable mid-infrared nanophotonics and integrated polaritonic circuits, detectors, and light sources.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65196-y

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