Electrical control of excitonic oscillator strength and spatial distribution in a monolayer semiconductor

Electrical modulation of luminescence is significant to modern light-emitting devices. Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides are emerging direct-bandgap luminescent materials with unique excitonic properties, and the multiple exciton complexes provide new opportunities to modulate the property of luminescence in atomically thin semiconductors. Here, we report an electrical control of exciton emission in the oscillator strength and spatial distribution of excitons in a monolayer WS₂. Effective modulation of excitonic emission intensity with a degree of modulation of ~ 92% has been demonstrated by an electric field at room temperature. The spatial carrier redistribution tuned by a lateral electric field results in distinct excitonic emission patterns by design. The modulation approach to exciton oscillator strength and distribution provides an efficient way to investigate the exciton diffusion dynamics and to construct electrically tunable optoelectronic devices.