Giant trion modulation in scalable monolayer MoS₂ via plasmonic HfN gates

A collaborative research group involving Professor Vincent Tung of the Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, and Associate Research Fellow Yu-Jung Lu of the Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, has demonstrated an electrically tunable light-emitting platform based on monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), a two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor only one atomic layer thick.

Two-dimensional semiconductors are promising materials for next-generation photonic and optoelectronic devices because they interact strongly with light despite their atomic-scale thickness. However, it has remained challenging to control their light emission efficiently at room temperature and over device-relevant large areas.
In this study, the research group integrated monolayer MoS₂ with a hafnium nitride (HfN) gate electrode. This structure enabled efficient control of the charge state in MoS₂ and achieved approximately 24% photoluminescence modulation over tunable regions exceeding 5,000 μm². By further incorporating plasmonic nanoparticle-on-mirror cavities, the group also achieved a 46-fold enhancement of light emission while preserving electrical tunability.

The University of Tokyo contributed to this work through its expertise in wafer-scale growth technologies for high-quality monolayer two-dimensional materials. This material foundation was essential for demonstrating scalable 2D optoelectronic devices beyond microscopic proof-of-concept samples. This achievement provides a room-temperature and scalable approach for actively controlling light emission in 2D semiconductors. It is expected to contribute to future on-chip light sources, tunable emission devices, visible light communication, integrated photonics, and active control of light–matter interactions in atomically thin materials.

Schematic illustration of electrically tunable light emission from monolayer MoS₂ integrated with a plasmonic HfN gate. The device enables efficient modulation and enhancement of light emission in a scalable two-dimensional semiconductor platform.
Source: Adapted from PENG TY. et al., Giant Trion Modulation in Scalable Monolayer MoS₂ via Plasmonic HfN Gates, Nature Photonics (2026).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-026-01921-3

Papers 
Journal: Nature Photonics
Title: Giant Trion Modulation in Scalable Monolayer MoS₂ via Plasmonic HfN Gates
Authors: Tzu-Yu Peng†, Cheng-Han Lin†, Kai Qi, Jui-Han Fu, Chen-Yu Wang, Jyun-Wei Huang, Jia-Wern Chen, Zheng-Zhe Chen, Hung Wei Shiu, Yao-Wen Chang, Liang-Yan Hsu, Min-Hsiung Shih, Vincent Tung*, and Yu-Jung Lu* (†Contributed Equally *Corresponding Author)
DOI: 10.1038/s41566-026-01921-3