Refractive Index Modulation in Monolayer Molybdenum Diselenide

Abstract

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides are promising candidates for ultrathin light modulators due to their highly tunable excitonic resonances at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. At cryogenic temperatures, large excitonic reflectivity in monolayer molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) has been shown, but the permittivity and index modulation have not been studied. Here, we demonstrate large gate-tunability of complex refractive index in monolayer MoSe2 by Fermi level modulation and study the doping dependence of the A and B excitonic resonances for temperatures between 4 and 150 K. By tuning the charge density, we observe both temperature- and carrier-dependent epsilon-near-zero response in the permittivity and transition from metallic to dielectric near the A exciton energy. We attribute the dynamic control of the refractive index to the interplay between radiative and non-radiative decay channels that are tuned upon gating. Our results suggest the potential of monolayer MoSe₂ as an active material for emerging photonics applications.