Guiding of visible photons at the ångström thickness limit

Optical waveguides are vital components of data communication system technologies, but their scaling down to the nanoscale has remained challenging despite advances in nano-optics and nanomaterials. Recently, we theoretically predicted that the ultimate limit of visible photon guiding can be achieved in monolayer-thick transition metal dichalcogenides. Here, we present an experimental demonstration of light guiding in an atomically thick tungsten disulfide membrane patterned as a photonic crystal structure. In this scheme, two-dimensional tungsten disulfide excitonic photoluminescence couples into quasi-guided photonic crystal modes known as resonant-type Wood’s anomalies. These modes propagate via total internal reflection with only a small portion of the light diffracted to the far field. Such light guiding at the ultimate limit provides more possibilities to miniaturize optoelectronic devices and to test fundamental physical concepts. A monolayer WS2 membrane patterned as a photonic crystal sustains guided optical modes that propagate via total internal reflection.