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Low-loss composite photonic platform based on 2D semiconductor monolayers

Two dimensional materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising for optical modulation, detection, and light emission since their material properties can be tuned on-demand via electrostatic doping. The optical properties of TMDs have been shown to change drastically with doping in the wavelength range near the excitonic resonances. However, little is known about the effect of doping on the optical properties of TMDs away from these resonances, where the material is transparent and therefore could be leveraged in photonic circuits. Here, we probe the electro-optic response of monolayer TMDs at near infrared (NIR) wavelengths (i.e. deep in the transparency regime), by integrating them on silicon nitride (SiN) photonic structures to induce strong light$-$matter interaction with the monolayer. We dope the monolayer to carrier densities of ($7.2 \pm 0.8$) $\times$ $10^{13} \textrm{cm}^{-2}$, by electrically gating the TMD using an ionic liquid. We show strong electro-refractive response in monolayer tungsten disulphide (WS$_2$) at NIR wavelengths by measuring a large change in the real part of refractive index $Δ$n = $0.53$, with only a minimal change in the imaginary part $Δ$k = $0.004$. The doping induced phase change ($Δ$n), compared to the induced absorption ($Δ$k) measured for WS$_2$ ($Δ$n/$Δ$k $\sim 125$), a key metric for photonics, is an order of magnitude higher than the $Δ$n/$Δ$k for bulk materials like silicon ($Δ$n/$Δ$k $\sim 10$), making it ideal for various photonic applications. We further utilize this strong tunable effect to demonstrate an electrostatically gated SiN-WS$_2$ phase modulator using a WS$_2$-HfO$_2$ (Hafnia)-ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) capacitive configuration, that achieves a phase modulation efficiency (V$_π$L) of 0.8 V $\cdot$ cm with a RC limited bandwidth of 0.3 GHz.