Research paperExperimental CharacterizationTheoreticalNear-Field Characterisation of Guided Modes in WS₂ Nanobeams and Quasi-Bulk CrystalsZara S. Taylor, Luke M. Hallacy, Xuerong Hu, Oliver T. Williams et al.arXiv·2026·arXiv:2607.00694AbstractThe exceptionally high in-plane refractive index, low sub-bandgap absorption, and strong optical anisotropy of WS₂ make it a promising material platform for next-generation integrated circuits for nanophotonics. This work performs hyperspectral cavity-enhanced imaging to determine upper and lower bounds on the extinction coefficient of WS₂ in the visible/NIR edge and uses scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to probe guided TE0, TM0, and higher-order modes in quasi-bulk and nanobeam WS₂ waveguides from 800–1400 nm. The study finds that s-SNOM reliably captures relative modal trends and provides upper bounds on propagation loss, while also identifying artefacts in nanobeam measurements that can shift extracted effective indices.Read more
Quasi-bulk WS₂ crystal used as a waveguiding sample for hyperspectral imaging and s-SNOM measurements.3 characterizations3 properties2 figuresExperimentalWS₂Studied MaterialExpand
WS₂ nanobeam waveguide used for near-field probing of TE0, TM0, and higher-order guided modes.2 characterizations3 properties2 figuresExperimentalWS₂Studied MaterialExpand
Research paperExperimental CharacterizationTheoreticalNear-Field Characterisation of Guided Modes in WS₂ Nanobeams and Quasi-Bulk CrystalsZara S. Taylor, Luke M. Hallacy, Xuerong Hu, Oliver T. Williams et al.arXiv·2026·arXiv:2607.00694AbstractThe exceptionally high in-plane refractive index, low sub-bandgap absorption, and strong optical anisotropy of WS₂ make it a promising material platform for next-generation integrated circuits for nanophotonics. This work performs hyperspectral cavity-enhanced imaging to determine upper and lower bounds on the extinction coefficient of WS₂ in the visible/NIR edge and uses scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to probe guided TE0, TM0, and higher-order modes in quasi-bulk and nanobeam WS₂ waveguides from 800–1400 nm. The study finds that s-SNOM reliably captures relative modal trends and provides upper bounds on propagation loss, while also identifying artefacts in nanobeam measurements that can shift extracted effective indices.Read more
Quasi-bulk WS₂ crystal used as a waveguiding sample for hyperspectral imaging and s-SNOM measurements.3 characterizations3 properties2 figuresExperimentalWS₂Studied MaterialExpand
WS₂ nanobeam waveguide used for near-field probing of TE0, TM0, and higher-order guided modes.2 characterizations3 properties2 figuresExperimentalWS₂Studied MaterialExpand
Research paperExperimental CharacterizationTheoreticalNear-Field Characterisation of Guided Modes in WS₂ Nanobeams and Quasi-Bulk CrystalsZara S. Taylor, Luke M. Hallacy, Xuerong Hu, Oliver T. Williams et al.arXiv·2026·arXiv:2607.00694AbstractThe exceptionally high in-plane refractive index, low sub-bandgap absorption, and strong optical anisotropy of WS₂ make it a promising material platform for next-generation integrated circuits for nanophotonics. This work performs hyperspectral cavity-enhanced imaging to determine upper and lower bounds on the extinction coefficient of WS₂ in the visible/NIR edge and uses scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to probe guided TE0, TM0, and higher-order modes in quasi-bulk and nanobeam WS₂ waveguides from 800–1400 nm. The study finds that s-SNOM reliably captures relative modal trends and provides upper bounds on propagation loss, while also identifying artefacts in nanobeam measurements that can shift extracted effective indices.Read more
Quasi-bulk WS₂ crystal used as a waveguiding sample for hyperspectral imaging and s-SNOM measurements.3 characterizations3 properties2 figuresExperimentalWS₂Studied MaterialExpand
WS₂ nanobeam waveguide used for near-field probing of TE0, TM0, and higher-order guided modes.2 characterizations3 properties2 figuresExperimentalWS₂Studied MaterialExpand
Research paperExperimental CharacterizationTheoreticalNear-Field Characterisation of Guided Modes in WS₂ Nanobeams and Quasi-Bulk CrystalsZara S. Taylor, Luke M. Hallacy, Xuerong Hu, Oliver T. Williams et al.arXiv·2026·arXiv:2607.00694AbstractThe exceptionally high in-plane refractive index, low sub-bandgap absorption, and strong optical anisotropy of WS₂ make it a promising material platform for next-generation integrated circuits for nanophotonics. This work performs hyperspectral cavity-enhanced imaging to determine upper and lower bounds on the extinction coefficient of WS₂ in the visible/NIR edge and uses scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to probe guided TE0, TM0, and higher-order modes in quasi-bulk and nanobeam WS₂ waveguides from 800–1400 nm. The study finds that s-SNOM reliably captures relative modal trends and provides upper bounds on propagation loss, while also identifying artefacts in nanobeam measurements that can shift extracted effective indices.Read more
Quasi-bulk WS₂ crystal used as a waveguiding sample for hyperspectral imaging and s-SNOM measurements.3 characterizations3 properties2 figuresExperimentalWS₂Studied MaterialExpand
WS₂ nanobeam waveguide used for near-field probing of TE0, TM0, and higher-order guided modes.2 characterizations3 properties2 figuresExperimentalWS₂Studied MaterialExpand