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Two-dimensional (2D) ternary transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are of great research interest because their superior layer-dependent optical modulation properties. In this work, three different kinds of TMDC nanosheets, including hafnium diselenide (HfSe2), titanium diselenide (TiSe2) and zirconium diselenide (ZrSe2), are prepared by liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) technique. The high-quality material properties of these TMDC nanosheets are confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, the bandgap information of five-layer MSe2 has been investigated via utilizing density functional theory. The calculation results exhibit ultra-narrow bandgap structure (lower than 1.1 eV) for all these three materials, indicating that MSe2 is suitable for broadband photonic applications. By applying the fabricated MSe2 as saturable absorbers, high-performance Q-switched mode-locked laser operation has been realized. The laser gain media are Nd:GdVO4 cladding waveguides fabricated by femtosecond laser direct writing. As a result, the pulsed waveguide lasers are able to deliver approximately 6-GHz laser pulses with a signal-to-noise ratio of over 45 dB. The minimum pulse width is determined to be as short as 26 ps. The results demonstrated in this work exhibit the great potential of TMDCs and waveguide structures in applications of pulsed lasers with compact footprints.

Recently, all‐dielectric metasurfaces are profoundly exploited to enhance light‐matter interactions, resulting from the high quality‐factor (Q‐factor) optical resonances that based on novel concepts such as the bound states in the continuum (BIC). Unfortunately, BIC operates at a fixed resonance wavelength and a fixed wavevector for a specific structure. Here, the experimental demonstration of a dielectric nonlocal metasurface capable of robustly maintaining high‐Q resonances is reported, over a broad spectral range, where the specific wavelength is selected by controlling the incident angle. This is enabled by steering infinite‐Q guided modes (GMs) in subwavelength lattices into quasi‐GMs (QGMs), which are accessible by external radiations while retaining the same dispersion as the GMs. Such invaluable characteristics are achieved by harnessing the period‐doubling perturbation, implemented in a nonlocal metasurface structure on top of a lithium niobate (LN) film. Furthermore, spectrally tunable second‐harmonic generations are demonstrated in this structure with an enhancement factor of ≈1200 compare to that of a bare LN film of the same thickness over a large bandwidth. These results suggest that the QGMs supported by all‐dielectric nonlocal metasurfaces provide an excellent platform for enhancing light‐matter interactions with additional desired functionalities of spectral tunability and random selection of the operation wavelength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Localized surface plasmon resonance from metallic nanoparticles (NPs) under optical excitation brings out intriguing applications in photonics. We realize plasmon-enhanced Raman scattering of two-dimensional (2D) materials (up to 19 times of magnitude for SnSe2 and 12 times for MoS2) via embedded silver nanoparticles in fused silica glass (hereby Ag NPs:glass), suggesting that the fabricated ion-modified multifunctional substrate shows a good compatibility that couple with 2D nanosheets. Moreover, the existence of insulating layers of SiO2 blocks the direct electron transfer and protects the intrinsic properties of surface materials, the Ag NPs:glass substrate exhibits excellent environmental stability and reusability, maintaining higher enhancement ability after a number of repeated uses. Our work opens up a novel route to develop reusable functional substrates for practical applications toward the weak-signal detection and label-free enhanced Raman scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) is widely recognized as an essential optoelectronic integration platform due to its unique ferroelectric properties and photorefractive effect. However, the wide bandgap and weak absorption of lithium niobate limit its further application in integrated photodetection field. To address this issue, encapsulating silver nanoparticles within the LNOI structure are proposed to manipulate the light field distribution of modified lithium niobate through the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect and utilize the modified lithium niobate thin film as a functional substrate to tailor the optoelectronic properties of surface SnSe2 nanosheets, significantly enhancing their photodetection capabilities. The photocurrent of the SnSe2 photodetector based on LNOI with embedded Ag nanoparticles is enhanced by up to 1912 times compared to that on the original LNOI under the same conditions, which represents the highest reported plasmonic‐induced photodetection enhancement. This work deepens the basic research on plasmonic‐modified 2D materials and ferroelectric materials, which promotes the development of on‐chip photodetectors and the realization of fully functional photonic circuits that integrate all essential components on a single chip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical waveguides are far more than mere connecting elements in integrated optical systems and circuits. Benefiting from their high optical confinement and miniaturized footprints, waveguide structures established based on crystalline materials, particularly, are opening exciting possibilities and opportunities in photonic chips by facilitating their on-chip integration with different functionalities and highly compact photonic circuits. Femtosecond-laser-direct writing (FsLDW), as a true three-dimensional (3D) micromachining and microfabrication technology, allows rapid prototyping of on-demand waveguide geometries inside transparent materials via localized material modification. The success of FsLDW lies not only in its unsurpassed aptitude for realizing 3D devices but also in its remarkable material-independence that enables cross-platform solutions. This review emphasizes FsLDW fabrication of waveguide structures with 3D layouts in dielectric crystals. Their functionalities as passive and active photonic devices are also demonstrated and discussed.