University of Warsaw Researchers Successfully Trap Infrared Light in Nanoscale Layer One Thousand Times Thinner Than Hair

University of Warsaw researchers use molybdenum diselenide to trap light in a layer 1,000x thinner than hair, boosting light conversion efficiency by 1,500x.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 6, 2026, 9:03 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from ScienceDaily

Miniaturizing Photonic Control Beyond Conventional Limits

Researchers from the University of Warsaw, in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Sciences and several technical universities, have developed a method to manipulate light at scales previously thought impractical. By creating a structure just 40 nanometers thick, the team has successfully trapped infrared light within a medium over a thousand times thinner than a human hair. This achievement addresses a fundamental challenge in photonics: the wave nature of light typically prevents effective control within structures smaller than the light’s own wavelength. This advancement suggests a future where photonic devices can be significantly more compact than current electronic counterparts.

Engineering the Subwavelength Grating Architecture

The team utilized a design known as a subwavelength grating, which consists of parallel strips spaced closer together than the wavelength of the light they are intended to interact with. At these dimensions, the grating functions as a near-perfect mirror while simultaneously confining light within an extremely small volume. While previous attempts using silicon or gallium compounds required layers several hundred nanometers thick to remain functional, the researchers found that reducing size in those materials led to a total loss of light confinement.

The Unique Optical Properties of Molybdenum Diselenide

The success of this nanoscale trap is attributed to the use of molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2), a material with an exceptionally high refractive index. Light slows down significantly more in MoSe2 than in common optical materials; while glass slows light by 1.5 times and silicon by 3.5, MoSe2 slows it by approximately 4.5 times. This extreme slowing effect allows the physical structure to shrink dramatically without sacrificing its ability to trap light. Furthermore, unlike graphene, MoSe2 is a semiconductor, making it uniquely suited for integrated electronic and photonic applications.