LAUSR

Controlling the propagation and intensity of an optical signal is central to several technologies ranging from quantum communication to signal processing. These require a versatile class of functional materials with tailored electronic and optical properties, and compatibility with different platforms for electronics and optoelectronics. Here, we investigate and exploit the inherent optical anisotropy and mechanical flexibility of atomically thin semiconducting layers to induce a controlled enhancement of optical signals. This enhancement is achieved by straining and bending layers of the van der Waals crystal indium selenide (InSe) onto a periodic array of Si-pillars. This enhancement has strong dependence on the layer thickness and is modelled by first-principles electronic band structure theory, revealing the role of the symmetry of the atomic orbitals and light polarization dipole selection rules on the optical properties of the bent layers. The effects described in this paper are qualitatively different from those reported in other materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenides, and do not arise from a photonic cavity effect, as demonstrated before for other semiconductors. Our findings on InSe offer a route to flexible nano-photonics compatible with silicon electronics by exploiting the flexibility and anisotropic and wide spectral optical response of a two-dimensional layered material.