Diffractive light-trapping transparent electrodes using zero-order suppression.

A light-trapping transparent electrode design based on sub-surface binary dielectric gratings is introduced and demonstrated experimentally. The structure consists of metallic wires patterned with an array of silicon nanobeams. Optimization of the grating geometry achieves selective suppression of zero-order diffraction, while enabling redirection of incident light to an angle that exceeds critical angle of the local environment.

Impact of substrates and quantum effects on exciton line shapes of 2D semiconductors at room temperature.

Exciton resonances in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) provide exceptionally strong light-matter interaction at room temperature. Their spectral line shape is critical in the design of a myriad of optoelectronic devices, ranging from solar cells to quantum information processing. However, disorder resulting from static inhomogeneities and dynamical fluctuations can significantly impact the line shape.

Quantitative phase contrast imaging with a nonlocal angle-selective metasurface.

Phase contrast microscopy has played a central role in the development of modern biology, geology, and nanotechnology. It can visualize the structure of translucent objects that remains hidden in regular optical microscopes. The optical layout of a phase contrast microscope is based on a 4 f image processing setup and has essentially remained unchanged since its invention by Zernike in the early 1930s.

Light trapping transparent electrodes with a wide-angle response.

The angle dependent transmission of light trapping transparent electrodes is investigated. The electrodes consist of triangular metallic wire arrays embedded in a dielectric cover layer. Normal incidence illumination of the structure produces light trapping via total internal reflection, virtually eliminating all shadowing losses.

Nanoelectromechanical modulation of a strongly-coupled plasmonic dimer.

The ability of two nearly-touching plasmonic nanoparticles to squeeze light into a nanometer gap has provided a myriad of fundamental insights into light-matter interaction. In this work, we construct a nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) that capitalizes on the unique, singular behavior that arises at sub-nanometer particle-spacings to create an electro-optical modulator. Using in situ electron energy loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope, we map the spectral and spatial changes in the plasmonic modes as they hybridize and evolve from a weak to a strong coupling regime.

Scale dependent performance of metallic light-trapping transparent electrodes.

The optical and electrical performance of light trapping metallic electrodes is investigated. Reflection losses from metallic contacts are shown to be dramatically reduced compared to standard metallic contacts by leveraging total internal reflection at the surface of an added dielectric cover layer. Triangular wire arrays are shown to exhibit increased performance with increasing size, whereas cylindrical wires continue to exhibit diffractive losses as their size is increased.

Polarization-independent metasurface lens employing the Pancharatnam-Berry phase.

Metasurface optical elements, optical phased arrays constructed from a dense arrangement of nanoscale antennas, are promising candidates for the next generation of flat optical components. Metasurfaces that rely on the Pancharatnam-Berry phase facilitate complete and efficient wavefront control. However, their operation typically requires control over the polarization state of the incident light to achieve a desired optical function.

Anti-Hermitian photodetector facilitating efficient subwavelength photon sorting.

The ability to split an incident light beam into separate wavelength bands is central to a diverse set of optical applications, including imaging, biosensing, communication, photocatalysis, and photovoltaics. Entirely new opportunities are currently emerging with the recently demonstrated possibility to spectrally split light at a subwavelength scale with optical antennas. Unfortunately, such small structures offer limited spectral control and are hard to exploit in optoelectronic devices.

Thermoplasmonic Ignition of Metal Nanoparticles.

Explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics are energetic materials that can store and quickly release tremendous amounts of chemical energy. Aluminum (Al) is a particularly important fuel in many applications because of its high energy density, which can be released in a highly exothermic oxidation process. The diffusive oxidation mechanism (DOM) and melt-dispersion mechanism (MDM) explain the ways powders of Al nanoparticles (NPs) can burn, but little is known about the possible use of plasmonic resonances in NPs to manipulate photoignition.

Purcell effect for active tuning of light scattering from semiconductor optical antennas.

Subwavelength, high-refractive index semiconductor nanostructures support optical resonances that endow them with valuable antenna functions. Control over the intrinsic properties, including their complex refractive index, size, and geometry, has been used to manipulate fundamental light absorption, scattering, and emission processes in nanostructured optoelectronic devices. In this study, we harness the electric and magnetic resonances of such antennas to achieve a very strong dependence of the optical properties on the external environment.

Direct Electrospray Printing of Gradient Refractive Index Chalcogenide Glass Films.

A spatially varying effective refractive index gradient using chalcogenide glass layers is printed on a silicon wafer using an optimized electrospray (ES) deposition process. Using solution-derived glass precursors, IR-transparent GeSbS and AsS glass films of programmed thickness are fabricated to yield a bilayer structure, resulting in an effective gradient refractive index (GRIN) film. Optical and compositional analysis tools confirm the optical and physical nature of the gradient in the resulting high-optical-quality films, demonstrating the power of direct printing of multimaterial structures compatible with planar photonic fabrication protocols.

Photonic Multitasking Interleaved Si Nanoantenna Phased Array.

Metasurfaces provide unprecedented control over light propagation by imparting local, space-variant phase changes on an incident electromagnetic wave. They can improve the performance of conventional optical elements and facilitate the creation of optical components with new functionalities and form factors. Here, we build on knowledge from shared aperture phased array antennas and Si-based gradient metasurfaces to realize various multifunctional metasurfaces capable of achieving multiple distinct functions within a single surface region.

Electrospray Deposition of Uniform Thickness Ge23Sb7S70 and As40S60 Chalcogenide Glass Films.

Solution-based electrospray film deposition, which is compatible with continuous, roll-to-roll processing, is applied to chalcogenide glasses. Two chalcogenide compositions are demonstrated: Ge23Sb7S70 and As40S60, which have both been studied extensively for planar mid-infrared (mid-IR) microphotonic devices. In this approach, uniform thickness films are fabricated through the use of computer numerical controlled (CNC) motion.

Superabsorbing, Artificial Metal Films Constructed from Semiconductor Nanoantennas.

In 1934, Wilhelm Woltersdorff demonstrated that the absorption of light in an ultrathin, freestanding film is fundamentally limited to 50%. He concluded that reaching this limit would require a film with a real-valued sheet resistance that is exactly equal to R = η/2 ≈ 188.5Ω/□, where [Formula: see text] is the impedance of free space.

Effect of surface roughness on substrate-tuned gold nanoparticle gap plasmon resonances.

The effect of nanoscale surface roughness on the gap plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles on thermally evaporated gold films is investigated experimentally and numerically. Single-particle scattering spectra obtained from 80 nm diameter gold particles on a gold film show significant particle-to-particle variation of the peak scattering wavelength of ±28 nm. The experimental results are compared with numerical simulations of gold nanoparticles positioned on representative rough gold surfaces, modeled based on atomic force microscopy measurements.

Electrically tunable coherent optical absorption in graphene with ion gel.

We demonstrate electrical control over coherent optical absorption in a graphene-based Salisbury screen consisting of a single layer of graphene placed in close proximity to a gold back reflector. The screen was designed to enhance light absorption at a target wavelength of 3.2 μm by using a 600 nm-thick, nonabsorbing silica spacer layer.

Catoptric electrodes: transparent metal electrodes using shaped surfaces.

An optical electrode design is presented that theoretically allows 100% optical transmission through an interdigitated metallic electrode at 50% metal areal coverage. This is achieved by redirection of light incident on embedded metal electrode lines to an angle beyond that required for total internal reflection. Full-field electromagnetic simulations using realistic material parameters demonstrate 84% frequency-averaged transmission for unpolarized illumination across the entire visible spectral range using a silver interdigitated electrode at 50% areal coverage.

Post-fabrication voltage controlled resonance tuning of nanoscale plasmonic antennas.

Voltage controlled wavelength tuning of the localized surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles on an aluminum film is demonstrated in single particle microscopy and spectroscopy measurements. Anodization of the Al film after nanoparticle deposition forms an aluminum oxide spacer layer between the gold particles and the Al film, modifying the particle-substrate interaction. Darkfield microscopy reveals ring-shaped scattering images from individual Au nanoparticles, indicative of plasmon resonances with a dipole moment normal to the substrate.

Near-field enhancement of infrared intensities for f-f transitions in Er3+ ions close to the surface of silicon nanoparticles.

Erbium doped waveguide amplifiers can be used in optical integrated circuits to compensate for signal losses. Such amplifiers use stimulated emission from the first excited state ((4) I (13/2)) to the ground state ((4) I (15/2)) of Er(3+) at 1.53 µm, the standard wavelength for optical communication.

Structural control of nonlinear optical absorption and refraction in dense metal nanoparticle arrays.

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of a composite containing interacting spherical silver nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric host are studied as a function of interparticle separation using three dimensional frequency domain simulations. It is shown that for a fixed amount of metal, the effective third-order nonlinear susceptibility of the composite chi((3))(omega) can be significantly enhanced with respect to the linear optical properties, due to a combination of resonant surface plasmon excitation and local field redistribution. It is shown that this geometry-dependent susceptibility enhancement can lead to an improved figure of merit for nonlinear absorption.

Numerical study of surface plasmon enhanced nonlinear absorption and refraction.

Maxwell Garnett effective medium theory is used to study the influence of silver nanoparticle induced field enhancement on the nonlinear response of a Kerr-type nonlinear host. We show that the composite nonlinear absorption coefficient, beta(c), can be enhanced relative to the host nonlinear absorption coefficient near the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. This enhancement is not due to a resonant enhancement of the host nonlinear absorption, but rather due to a phase shifted enhancement of the host nonlinear refractive response.

Local detection of electromagnetic energy transport below the diffraction limit in metal nanoparticle plasmon waveguides.

Achieving control of light-material interactions for photonic device applications at nanoscale dimensions will require structures that guide electromagnetic energy with a lateral mode confinement below the diffraction limit of light. This cannot be achieved by using conventional waveguides or photonic crystals. It has been suggested that electromagnetic energy can be guided below the diffraction limit along chains of closely spaced metal nanoparticles that convert the optical mode into non-radiating surface plasmons.