Research
2D Materials
Two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals and their heterostructures are the central research theme of our group. Due to a combination of enhanced electronic interactions and quantum confinement, 2D materials display properties that can be very different from those of their 3D counterparts. Since the first isolation of graphene a decade ago, the library of 2D materials has expanded considerably and now comprises a wide variety of crystals ranging from semiconducting MoS2 and magnetic CrI3 to topological insulating WTe2. Assembling these 2D building blocks into so-called van der Waals heterostructures opens up exciting opportunities for designing artificial materials with atomic-layer precision.
The general goal of our research is to unlock the potential of these new 2D materials for advanced technologies, in particular integrated photonics and quantum technologies.
Current Research Topics
2D Quantum Materials
Many of the 2D materials present exotic physical properties that arise from the strong interactions of their electrons. The recently discovered magnetic 2D materials are a fascinating case because they provide, for the first time, an ideal platform to explore and harness magnetism in the 2D limit. Although this field of research is still in its infancy, studies on magnetic 2D materials have already revealed a wealth of fascinating, yet complex, magnetic phases. Moreover, their magnetic states can be controlled and manipulated through various external perturbations, such as light and strain. In the ONE group, we study the properties of these 2D materials using innovative measurement techniques and explore their potential for next-generation quantum sensing and information processing technologies.
Advanced Quantum Optoelectronic Devices
Quantum photonics technologies – systems that exploit the quantum properties of light, often at the single-photon level – lie at the heart of the ongoing quantum revolution. These technologies critically rely on the performance of advanced optoelectronic devices like single-photon emitters and detectors. However, this single-photon requirement poses important challenges, both in terms of material and device physics. Transition metal dichalcogenides, like MoS2 and WSe2, have recently emerged as prime candidates for quantum photonics because they exhibit strong light-matter interactions, provide new opportunities to engineer quantum emitters, and can make fast and efficient photodetectors. In the ONE group, our goal is to leverage these properties in order to develop next-generation optoelectronic devices for emerging quantum technologies.
Integrated Photonics Based on 2D Materials
Integrated photonics is a promising technology that can revolutionize digital applications such as artificial intelligence and quantum sciences. Unlike electronics, which uses electrons to transmit and process information, integrated photonics uses photons, the particles of light. At the heart of photonic integrated circuits, optoelectronic devices convert electrical signals into light signals and vice versa at an extremely fast rate. One of the major goals in the field of telecommunications is to design optoelectronic devices that can accelerate this rate. In the ONE group, we aim to improve the performance of photonic circuits by integrating 2D materials on a large scale and exploiting their unique optoelectronic properties.