Spin-orbit coupling in van der Waals materials for optical vortex generation
Abstract An optical vortex beam has attracted significant attention across diverse applications, including optical manipulation, phase-contrast microscopy, optical communication, and quantum photonics. To utilize vortex generators for integrated photonics, researchers have developed ultra-compact vo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Publishing Group
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Light: Science & Applications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01926-7 |
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| _version_ | 1849339891079446528 |
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| author | Jaegang Jo Sujeong Byun Munseong Bae Jianwei Wang Haejun Chung Sejeong Kim |
| author_facet | Jaegang Jo Sujeong Byun Munseong Bae Jianwei Wang Haejun Chung Sejeong Kim |
| author_sort | Jaegang Jo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract An optical vortex beam has attracted significant attention across diverse applications, including optical manipulation, phase-contrast microscopy, optical communication, and quantum photonics. To utilize vortex generators for integrated photonics, researchers have developed ultra-compact vortex generators using fork gratings, metasurfaces, and integrated microcombs. However, those devices depend on costly, time-consuming nanofabrication and are constrained by the low signal-to-noise ratio due to the fabrication error. As an alternative maneuver, spin-orbit coupling has emerged as a method to obtain the vortex beam by converting spin angular momentum (SAM) without nanostructures. Here, we demonstrate the creation of an optical vortex beam using van der Waals (vdW) materials. The significantly high birefringence of vdW materials allows the generation of optical vortex beams, even with materials of sub-wavelength thickness. In this work, we utilize an 8 µm-thick hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) crystal for the creation of optical vortices carrying topological charges of ±2. We also present the generation of an optical vortex beam in a 320 nm-thick MoS2 crystal with a conversion efficiency of 0.09. This study paves the way for fabrication-less and ultra-compact optical vortex generators, which can be applied for integrated photonics and large-scale vortex generator arrays. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ffe74bba837d4b2aab95a4c36aa74d61 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2047-7538 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Light: Science & Applications |
| spelling | doaj-art-ffe74bba837d4b2aab95a4c36aa74d612025-08-20T03:44:01ZengNature Publishing GroupLight: Science & Applications2047-75382025-08-011411910.1038/s41377-025-01926-7Spin-orbit coupling in van der Waals materials for optical vortex generationJaegang Jo0Sujeong Byun1Munseong Bae2Jianwei Wang3Haejun Chung4Sejeong Kim5Department of Electronic Engineering, Hanyang UniversityDepartment of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of MelbourneDepartment of Electronic Engineering, Hanyang UniversityState Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, School of Physics, Peking UniversityDepartment of Electronic Engineering, Hanyang UniversityDepartment of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of MelbourneAbstract An optical vortex beam has attracted significant attention across diverse applications, including optical manipulation, phase-contrast microscopy, optical communication, and quantum photonics. To utilize vortex generators for integrated photonics, researchers have developed ultra-compact vortex generators using fork gratings, metasurfaces, and integrated microcombs. However, those devices depend on costly, time-consuming nanofabrication and are constrained by the low signal-to-noise ratio due to the fabrication error. As an alternative maneuver, spin-orbit coupling has emerged as a method to obtain the vortex beam by converting spin angular momentum (SAM) without nanostructures. Here, we demonstrate the creation of an optical vortex beam using van der Waals (vdW) materials. The significantly high birefringence of vdW materials allows the generation of optical vortex beams, even with materials of sub-wavelength thickness. In this work, we utilize an 8 µm-thick hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) crystal for the creation of optical vortices carrying topological charges of ±2. We also present the generation of an optical vortex beam in a 320 nm-thick MoS2 crystal with a conversion efficiency of 0.09. This study paves the way for fabrication-less and ultra-compact optical vortex generators, which can be applied for integrated photonics and large-scale vortex generator arrays.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01926-7 |
| spellingShingle | Jaegang Jo Sujeong Byun Munseong Bae Jianwei Wang Haejun Chung Sejeong Kim Spin-orbit coupling in van der Waals materials for optical vortex generation Light: Science & Applications |
| title | Spin-orbit coupling in van der Waals materials for optical vortex generation |
| title_full | Spin-orbit coupling in van der Waals materials for optical vortex generation |
| title_fullStr | Spin-orbit coupling in van der Waals materials for optical vortex generation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spin-orbit coupling in van der Waals materials for optical vortex generation |
| title_short | Spin-orbit coupling in van der Waals materials for optical vortex generation |
| title_sort | spin orbit coupling in van der waals materials for optical vortex generation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01926-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jaegangjo spinorbitcouplinginvanderwaalsmaterialsforopticalvortexgeneration AT sujeongbyun spinorbitcouplinginvanderwaalsmaterialsforopticalvortexgeneration AT munseongbae spinorbitcouplinginvanderwaalsmaterialsforopticalvortexgeneration AT jianweiwang spinorbitcouplinginvanderwaalsmaterialsforopticalvortexgeneration AT haejunchung spinorbitcouplinginvanderwaalsmaterialsforopticalvortexgeneration AT sejeongkim spinorbitcouplinginvanderwaalsmaterialsforopticalvortexgeneration |