The nonlinear optical transition bleaching in tellurene

Abstract

To date, outstanding linear and nonlinear optical properties of tellurene, caused by multiple two-dimensional (2D) phases and optical anisotropy, have attracted considerable interest for potential nanophotonics applications. In this work, the ultrafast nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of α-tellurene have been studied via Z-scan and pump–probe techniques at a broadband spectral region. Typical saturable absorption and band filling effects are observed in tellurene due to the Pauli exclusion principle. Analysis using density functional theory (DFT) computation shows the enhancements in NLO response within the ultraviolet–visible absorption spectral region are owing to the increased optical intraband transition in tellurene. Moreover, the effects of varying the photon energy of the probe pulse were explored. Our results indicated that probe pulses with higher photon energies can make smaller differential transmission signal, this effect is found to be negatively correlated with calculated joint density of states (JDOS). These results offer insights into the intrinsic photophysics of 2D tellurene, driving its applications in photonic and optoelectronic fields.