Ultra-Thin Materials—From Tailorable Photonics to New Physics

Tailorable and dynamically tunable materials are crucial for advancing nonlinear and quantum optics, as well as optical technologies including IT, classical and quantum communication, imaging, sensing and energy conversion. Recently, transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) and transition metal nitrides (TMNs) have attracted attention for photonic applications as they exhibit enhanced light-matter interactions, particularly in their metallic/plasmonic regime and near the so-called epsilon near zero (ENZ) region. Here, we explore the static and dynamic tailorability and tunability of optical properties in TCOs and TMNs. Both homogeneous TCOs and TMNs, as well as structured devices made from them, were investigated for tunability of their optical interactions such as harmonic generation and optical modulation. We also report on investigations of ultra-thin TMN films where interesting metal-to-insulator transitions happen in the so-called transdimensional regime. We will also discuss the customizability of 2D transition-metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) and electro-optical properties of Weyl Semimetals (WSM) to enable new pathways for tailorable photonic devices.