Quantum Confinement Emissions in Strained Monolayer WSe<sub>2</sub>: A Nanoscale Approach to Single-Photon Emitters via Tip-Enhanced Techniques.

Liberal, Lucas; Nadas, Rafael Battistella; Soares, Gustavo H R; Sousa, Frederico B; Godinho, Maria Clara; Marques Jacobsen, Gabriel; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji et al. · ACS Nano · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors such as monolayer WSe<sub>2</sub> have attracted significant interest for their quantum properties and potential as scalable single-photon emitters. However, conventional microphotoluminescence (μ-PL) techniques are fundamentally limited by optical diffraction, hindering access to critical nanoscale features such as strain gradients and localized quantum confinement. In this study, we utilize tip-enhanced photoluminescence (NanoPL) with a spatial resolution of ≈10 nm to directly image the emission landscape of monolayer WSe<sub>2</sub> on top of nanopillars at room temperature. Our results reveal two distinct localization regimes associated with leading theoretical models for single-photon activation and provide guidelines for deterministic nanoengineering of quantum light sources.