2D material exciton-polariton transport on 2D photonic crystals | Science Advances

Transport of elementary excitations is a fundamental property of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, essential for wide-ranging phenomena and device applications. Although exciton transport reported in 2D materials barely exceeds 1 to 2 micrometers, coherent coupling of excitons with photons to form polaritons enables extended transport lengths and offers opportunities to use photonic mode engineering for tailored transport. Conventional vertical cavity or waveguide polaritons, however, are challenging to tune and integrate into photonic circuits. We report the transport of transition metal dichalcogenide polaritons in 2D photonic crystals that are highly versatile for tuning, mode engineering, and integration. We achieve an order-of-magnitude enhancement in transport length compared to bare excitons and reveal transport dependence on polariton dispersion and population dynamics, which are controlled via photonic crystal design and pump intensity. Stimulated relaxation observed in the system suggests the potential for forming superfluid polaritons with frictionless transport. These findings establish 2D photonic crystal polaritons as a versatile platform for advancing photonic energy transport technologies.