Boosting self hybridized exciton polaritons with metal clad WS2 waveguides

The formation of Fabry Perot and guided wave self hybridized exciton polaritons in two dimensional materials results in long range exciton energy transfer and strong exciton exciton interactions. Here, we demonstrate that the coupling strength between photonic modes and excitons is significantly boosted by embedding the active excitonic layer in a metal clad WS2 waveguide. The photonic modes in this waveguide exhibit modified dispersion properties for both Fabry Perot type and guided wave exciton polaritons compared to pure WS2 flakes, and show an increased couplingr strength. Our results provide a robust approach for controlling exciton photon interactions and their coupling strength in hybrid heterostructures.