Deep-subwavelength multilayered meta-coatings for visible-infrared compatible camouflage.

Camouflage is a common technique in nature, enabling organisms to protect themselves from predators. The development of novel camouflage technologies, not only in fundamental science, but also in the fields of military and civilian applications, is of great significance. In this study, we propose a new type of deep-subwavelength four-layered meta-coating consisting of Si, Bi, Si, and Cr from top to bottom with total thickness of only ∼355 nm for visible-infrared compatible camouflage.

High-performance narrowband thermal emitter based on aperiodic Tamm plasmon structures assisted by inverse design.

Controlling the bandwidth and directionality of thermal emission is important for a broad range of applications, from imaging and sensing to energy harvesting. Here, we propose a new, to the best of our knowledge, type of long-wavelength infrared narrowband thermal emitter that is basically composed of aperiodic Tamm plasmon polariton structures. Compared to the thermal emitter based on periodic structures, more parameters need to be considered.

Narrowband HgCdTe infrared photodetector with integrated plasmonic structure.

The application of plasmonic structure has been demonstrated to improve the performance of infrared photodetectors. However, the successful experimental realization of the incorporation of such optical engineering structure into HgCdTe-based photodetectors has rarely been reported. In this paper, we present a HgCdTe infrared photodetector with integrated plasmonic structure.

A spectrally selective visible microbolometer based on planar subwavelength thin films.

In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a new type of compact, low-cost, visible microbolometer based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) planar subwavelength thin films, which exploits resonant absorption for spectral selectivity without additional filters and has the advantages of compact design, simple structure, cost-efficiency, and large format fabrication. The experimental results show that a proof-of-principle microbolometer exhibits spectrally selective properties in the visible frequency range. At a resonant absorption wavelength of 638 nm, a responsivity of about 10 mV W is achieved at room temperature at a bias current of 0.

Long-wavelength infrared selective emitter for thermal infrared camouflage under a hot environment.

Thermal infrared camouflage as a kind of counter-surveillance technique has attracted much attention owing to the rapid development of infrared surveillance technology. Various artificial optical structures have been developed for infrared camouflage applications under cold ambient environment (low thermal radiation), but the realization of infrared camouflage under a hot environment (high thermal radiation) is also highly desirable and has been rarely reported. Here, a lithography-free, ultra-thin, high performance long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) selective emitter for thermal infrared camouflage in a high radiation environment is proposed and experimentally demonstrated.

Manipulating mode degeneracy for tunable spectral characteristics in multi-microcavity photonic molecules.

Optical microcavities are capable of confining light to a small volume, which could dramatically enhance the light-matter interactions and hence improve the performances of photonic devices. However, in the previous works on the emergent properties with photonic molecules composed of multiple plasmonic microcavities, the underlying physical mechanism is unresolved, thereby imposing an inevitable restriction on manipulating degenerate modes in microcavity with outstanding performance. Here, we demonstrate the mode-mode interaction mechanism in photonic molecules composed of degenerate-mode cavity and single-mode cavity through utilizing the coupled mode theory.

Flexible Transparent Heat Mirror for Thermal Applications.

Transparent heat mirrors have been attracting a great deal of interest in the last few decades due to their broad applications, which range from solar thermal convection to energy-saving. Here, we present a flexible Polyethylene terephthalate/Ag-doped Indium tin oxide/Polydimethylsiloxane (PAIP) thin film that exhibits high transmittance in visible range and low emissivity in the thermal infrared region. Experimental results show that the temperature of the sample can be as high as 108 °C, which is ~23 °C higher than that of a blackbody control sample under the same solar radiation.

Large-area, lithography-free, narrow-band and highly directional thermal emitter.

Thermal radiation with narrow bandwidth and well-defined emission directions is highly sought after for a variety of applications, ranging from infrared sensing and thermal imaging to thermophotovoltaics. Here, a large-area (4-inch-diameter) long-wavelength infrared thermal emitter is presented, which is spectrally selective, highly directional, and easily fabricated. The basic structure of the proposed thermal emitter is composed of a truncated one-dimensional photonic crystal and a continuous metallic film separated by a dielectric spacer.