Giant second-harmonic generation in monolayer MoS2 boosted by dual bound states in the continuum

Dielectric metasurfaces open new avenues in nonlinear optics through their remarkable capability of boosting frequency conversion efficiency of nonlinear optical interactions. Here, a metasurface consisting of a square array of cruciform-shaped silicon building blocks covered by a monolayer MoS2 is proposed. By designing the metasurface so that it supports optical bound states in the continuum (BICs) at the fundamental frequency and second harmonic, nearly 600× enhancement of the second-harmonic generation (SHG) in the MoS2 monolayer as compared to that of the same MoS2 monolayer suspended in air is achieved. To gain deeper insights into the physics of the metasurface-induced enhancement of nonlinear optical interactions, an eigenmode expansion method is employed to analytically investigate the main characteristics of SHG and the results show a good agreement with the results obtained via full-wave numerical simulations. In addition, a versatile nonlinear homogenization approach is used to highlight and understand the interplay between the BICs of the metasurface and the efficiency of the SHG process. This work suggests a promising method to enhance the nonlinear optical processes in two-dimensional materials, enabling the development of advanced photonic nanodevices.