Strong Light-Matter Interactions in Heterostructures of Atomically Thin Films

Abstract

Atomic Layer Heterostructures—More Is More: The isolation of stable layers of various materials, only an atom or several atoms thick, has provided the opportunity to fabricate devices with novel functionality and to probe fundamental physics. Britnell et al. (p. 1311 , published online 2 May; see the Perspective by Hamm and Hess ) sandwiched a single layer of the transition metal dichalcogenide WS ₂ between two sheets of graphene. The photocurrent response of the heterostructure device was enhanced, compared to that of the bare layer of WS ₂ . The prospect of combining single or several-atom-thick layers into heterostructures should help to develop materials with a wide range of properties.