Highly Confined and Tunable Hyperbolic Phonon Polaritons in Van Der Waals Semiconducting Transition Metal Oxides

2D van der Waals (vdW) layered polar crystals sustaining phonon polaritons (PhPs) have opened up new avenues for fundamental research and optoelectronic applications in the mid-infrared to terahertz ranges. To date, 2D vdW crystals with PhPs are only experimentally demonstrated in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) slabs. For optoelectronic and active photonic applications, semiconductors with tunable charges, finite conductivity, and moderate bandgaps are preferred. Here, PhPs are demonstrated with low loss and ultrahigh electromagnetic field confinements in semiconducting vdW alpha-MoO3. The alpha-MoO3 supports strong hyperbolic PhPs in the mid-infrared range, with a damping rate as low as 0.08. The electromagnetic confinements can reach approximate to lambda 0/120, which can be tailored by altering the thicknesses of the alpha-MoO3 2D flakes. Furthermore, spatial control over the PhPs is achieved with a metal-ion-intercalation strategy. The results demonstrate alpha-MoO3 as a new platform for studying hyperbolic PhPs with tunability, which enable switchable mid-infrared nanophotonic devices.