Perspective of reconfigurability of devices by low-dimensional optical phase-change III-Chalcogenides

Realizing optically and/or electrically tunable plasmonic resonances in the visible to ultraviolet (UV) spectral region is particularly important for reconfigurable photonic device applications. Ultrathin layered group-III chalcogenides, such as GaS, GaSe, GaTe, Sb2S3, are particularly intriguing 2D materials that are revealing exotic phase-change properties with great promise for application in next generation reconfigurable electronics and optoelectronic devices. In this contribution, we present experimental and calculated results obtained on low-loss layered phase-change semiconducting materials of GaS, GaSe, GaTe, Sb2S3, which shows in addition to the conventional amorphous to crystalline phase transition (like the GST family), order-order (polytypes), metal-to-insulator transitions that can be triggered electrically, optically and via plasmonic coupling with alternative phase-change plasmonic metals.