AC‐Driven Plasmon Waveguide Integrated Electroluminescent Device

Abstract Photonic elements have greater information‐carrying capabilities compared to electronic components, making the development of high‐speed, chip‐integrated optical communication devices crucial for addressing interconnect bottlenecks in high‐speed computing systems. Significant progress has been made in studying light sources and their transmission. Despite these advancements, achieving a satisfactory integration of photonic circuits with both light source and optical waveguide functions has remained a challenge. Here, a silver nanowire (AgNW) waveguide‐integrated light source is demonstrated driven by alternating current (AC) voltage. AgNW functions as both the electrode and waveguide to simplify the device structure, and the 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) monolayer acts as the gain media in device. The electroluminescence (EL) can be tunably modulated via adjusting the frequency and voltage of the AC in this device, and it is also successfully coupled into the waveguide with its transmission distance up to 25 µm. The experiments of electroluminescence and waveguide transmission of different materials and their interlayer excitons have made a preliminary exploration of multiple wavelength transmission. It provides a new research platform forward in the development of chip‐integrated optical communication devices, thereby hopefully addressing the interconnect bottleneck and unlocking the potential for enhanced performance and efficiency in high‐speed computing systems.