A new technique based on terahertz radiation has been developed by physicists at Bielefeld University and the Leibniz Institute IFW Dresden, enabling ultrafast control of atomically thick semiconductors.
Nanometer antennas use terahertz light
The core of this innovation lies in 3D-2D antennas designed to transform THz light pulses into vertical electric fields within the material. These fields, with intensities of several megavolts per centimeter, succeed in modifying the electronic properties of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), an ultrathin semiconductor widely researched for its optical qualities.
The use of terahertz light allows the alteration of electronic structure electronic structure structure on time scales of less than one billionth of a second. This represents a considerable improvement over traditional methods, which employ slower electronic gates. The control signal is generated directly inside the semiconductor, eliminating electronic intermediaries.
The study was led by Dr. Dmitry Turchinovich, with key collaboration from Dr. Tomoki Hiraoka, who highlighted the coherent and strong behavior of the light-induced effect. The antennas were fabricated by Dr. Andy Thomas’ team at IFW Dresden, after numerous attempts to optimize their structure.
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Source and photo: Bielefeld University