Analysis of nano-grating-assisted light absorption enhancement in metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors patterned using focused ion-beam lithography

We present finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis results of light absorption enhancement factor dependence on the profile shape of nano-gratings etched into the surfaces of metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector (MSM-PD) structures. The MSM-PDs patterned by nano-gratings are optimized geometrically, improving the light absorption near the design wavelength through plasmon-assisted electric field concentration effects. FDTD simulation results show about 50 times light absorption enhancement prediction for 850 nm light due to improved optical signal propagation through the nano-gratings in comparison with the conventional MSM-PD designs employing only a subwavelength aperture. We also report on the nano-grating profile shapes obtained typically in our experiments using focused ion-beam lithography and discuss the dependency of light absorption enhancement on the geometric parameters of nano-gratings inscribed into MSM-PDs.     

Numerical Evaluation of Polarization-Selective Characteristics of a Binary Relief Grating with Subwavelength Structures

The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is applied to the numerical evaluation of diffraction from a binary relief grating with subwavelength structures. It is demonstrated numerically that the binary relief grating made of isotropic materials works as a polarization selective optical device. It is further shown that the polarization effects depend on the arrangements of subwavelength structures.     

Polarization-independent grating couplers for silicon-on-insulator nanophotonic waveguides

We propose the use of subwavelength structures in a waveguide grating to achieve polarization-independent coupling of light between an optical fiber and a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) optical waveguide. The subwavelength structure allows the mode effective indices of the TE and TM modes in the grating section to be precisely engineered. We calculate that coupling efficiency of over 64% is possible using the proposed design for polarization-independent coupling between single-mode optical fibers and SOI nanophotonic waveguides.     

Enhanced light transmission through a single subwavelength aperture

The optical transmission through a subwavelength aperture in a metal film is strongly enhanced when the incident light is resonant with surface plasmons at the corrugated metal surface surrounding the aperture. Conversely, the aperture acts as a novel probe of the surface plasmons, yielding useful insights for optimizing the transmission enhancement. For the optimal corrugation geometry, a set of concentric circular grooves, three times more light is transmitted through the central subwavelength aperture than directly impinges upon it. This effect is useful in the fabrication of near-field optical devices with extremely high optical throughput.     

Extraordinary acoustic transmission through a 1D grating with very narrow apertures

Recently, there has been an increased interest in studying extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) through subwavelength aperture arrays perforated in a metallic film. In this Letter, we report that the transmission of an incident acoustic wave through a one-dimensional acoustic grating can also be drastically enhanced. This extraordinary acoustic transmission (EAT) has been investigated both theoretically and experimentally, showing that the coupling between the diffractive wave and the wave-guide mode plays an important role in EAT. This phenomenon can have potential applications in acoustics and also might provide a better understanding of EOT in optical subwavelength systems.     

亚波长消反射光栅

为了降低消反射光栅的偏振敏感性，将等效介质理论推广到二维亚波长结构，对一种特定的矩形柱状结构进行了分析。构造了一种分析方法，然后利用光栅结构的有关表达式得到这种二维结构的近似等效系数。并设计了适用于10．6μm红外波段的二维亚波长消反射光栅，用二元光学的制作工艺在si衬底上进行了实验制备。测试结果表明：对中心波长为10．6μm的红外光，这种光栅象单层消反射膜一样，具有很好的增透效果。     

Modeling of near-field optical diffraction from a subwavelength aperture in a thin conducting film

A theoretical model, novel to our knowledge, to investigate the near-field optical diffraction from a subwavelength aperture in a thin conducting film is presented. A governing equation for the magnetic field distribution in an optical thin film based on the power flow theorem is derived for the first time. Thus all of the components of the electric and magnetic fields inside or outside the thin film with a subwavelength aperture embedded can be obtained by applying the Hankel transform accurately. Numerical computations are performed to illustrate the edge effect by an enhancement factor of 2.2 and the depolarization phenomenon of the transmission in terms of the distance from the film surface.     

Enhanced nonlinear optical conversion from a periodically nanostructured metal film

We demonstrate an approximately10(4) increase in conversion efficiency for optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) from a periodically nanostructured metal structure consisting of a single subwavelength aperture in a thin silver film surrounded by a set of concentric surface grooves. The forward-transmitted second-harmonic radiation from this structure is measured relative to that from an identical aperture with no surrounding surface periodicity. We explain the observed SHG enhancement quantitatively in terms of a measured 120x increase in the strength of the fundamental radiation in the vicinity of the aperture resulting from the periodic nanostructuring.     

Color filters featuring high transmission efficiency and broad bandwidth based on resonant waveguide-metallic grating

A one-dimensional transmission color filter based on a resonant waveguide-metallic subwavelength grating was numerically investigated by employing rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) and genetic algorithm (GA). The hybrid numerical method is used to determine the optimal parameters (the grating period, filling factor, grating thickness, and waveguide thickness) of two waveguide-grating structures, namely a double-layer resonant waveguide-metallic grating and a triple-layer resonant waveguide-metallic grating. The optical responses of these structures are evaluated and compared in terms of the ideal transmission efficiency aiming at the central wavelengths of 645 nm, 546 nm, and 455 nm of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) lights, respectively, over the visible region (380–780 nm). The results show that the optical performance of the double-layer with silver grating achieves the highest transmission efficiency of 82% (R), 81% (G), and 66% (B); and the largest bandwidth of about 125 nm (R), 118 nm (G), and 85 nm (B). Compared with existing color filters, the proposed device not only obtains a higher transmission and broader bandwidth, but it also suppresses redundant spectral peaks and transmission sidebands.     

Mie谐振耦合的亚波长金属孔宽带高透射传输

表面等离激元共振激发的亚波长金属孔透射较Bethe理论有大幅度的提高,然而,由于共振对频率的敏感性以及金属在光频的高损耗特性,表面等离激元共振难以实现亚波长金属孔的宽带高透射传输.本文采用放置在金属孔两边的硅纳米颗粒的Mie谐振耦合取代表面等离激元共振,实现亚波长金属孔的宽带高透射传输.全波仿真结果表明,采用Mie谐振耦合的亚波长金属孔(r/λ=0.1)光传输,透射系数超过90%的带宽达到65 nm,与表面等离激元共振诱导的透射增强相比,峰值增高了1.5倍,3 dB带宽拓宽了17倍.根据耦合模理论,建立了Mie谐振耦合亚波长金属孔透射的等效电路模型,并在临界耦合状态下反演出电路模型中的元件参数值.进一步研究发现,仅通过改变等效电路模型中的耦合系数,就可全面揭示Mie谐振耦合亚波长金属孔透射的传输规律,并得到与全波电磁仿真完全一致的结果,从而找到光与放置硅纳米颗粒的亚波长金属孔相互作用的数学表达,也给予人们在光学领域按照电路设计方法构建相应功能模块的启示.     

Numerical Investigation of Surface Plasmons Associated Subwavelength Optical Single-Pass Effect

Surface plasmons （SPs） associated optical single-pass effect has been investigated in novel subwavelength metallic structures, including single slit and grating structures. With influence of SPs, these metallic structures can enhance transmission in incident direction and suppress it in the opposite direction, exhibiting a single-pass effect. The finite difference time domain method is employed to study the influences of structure parameters on far-field transmission, near-field electric field distribution and extinction ratio of the single-pass transmission effect. A maximal extinction ratio of 47.83dB is achieved in the grating structure.     

Investigation of geometrical effects of antireflective subwavelength grating structures for optical device applications

We calculated diffraction efficiencies of subwavelength grating (SWG) structures for various optical device applications by using a rigorous coupled-wave analysis method. The geometrical effects, such as grating shape, height, and period, were investigated in order to obtain better antireflection performance. Cone shaped SWG structures with a taller height provide lower reflectance over a broadband wavelength range compared to that of flat surface and nanorod. It was found that the low reflection regions are quite related with the grating period and the refractive index of substrate materials. From the comparison between external and internal reflection of SWG structures, we also showed that the internal reflection requires shorter grating period than the case of external reflection to acquire broadband antireflection properties.     

High-optical-throughput individual nanoscale aperture in a multilayered metallic film

The optical transmission of an individual subwavelength aperture in a multilayered metal film is shown to be enhanced compared with that of a homogeneous metal film. The enhancement effect is due to the light coupling to surface plasmon excitation facilitated by a film periodicity. The sensitivity of the transmission to the dielectric filling of the aperture is also shown. The latter effect can be used to switch and control the transmittance. Devices based on enhanced transmission through nanosized apertures can find applications in high-density optical and magneto-optical data storage, high-resolution microscopy, and photolithography, where nanoscale light sources with high-optical-power throughput are required, as well as in sensor applications.     

Interference-induced enhancement of intensity and energy of a quantum optical field by a subwavelength array of coherent light sources

Recently, we have shown a mechanism that could provide great resonant and nonresonant transmission enhancements of the classical (nonquantum) light waves passed through subwavelength aperture arrays in thin metal films not by the plasmon–polariton waves, but by the constructive interference of diffracted waves (beams generated by the apertures) at the detector placed in the far-field zone. We now present a quantum reformulation of the model. The Hamiltonian describing the phenomenon of interference-induced enhancement and suppression of both the intensity and energy of a quantum optical field is derived. The basic properties of the field energy determining by the Hamiltonian are analyzed. Normally, the interference (addition) of two or more waves causes enhancement or suppression of the light intensity, but not the light energy. The model shows that the phenomenon could be observed experimentally, for instance, by using a subwavelength array of the coherent quantum light-sources (one- and two-dimensional subwavelength apertures, fibers, dipoles, and atoms).     

Area-coded effective medium structures, a new type of grating design

We propose a new way to design gratings with desired diffraction properties by using subwavelength feature sizes perpendicular to the ordinary superwavelength grating period. This is different from well-known one-dimensional binary-blazed gratings that use a structuring along the grating period and thus opens new flexibility in generating arbitrary effective-index distributions in the direction of the grating period. Since the subwavelength features form contiguous areas, they are called area-coded effective medium structures (ACES). Compared with well-known binary subwavelength structures in two-dimensional arrangements consisting of pillars, ACES are more stable and have comparable efficiency properties. As an example we show how to design in principle a four-level area-coded effective medium grating, compare the efficiency of ACES with binary-blazed and échelette gratings, and optimize the subwavelength period of ACES.     

前后光栅周期对于双光栅结构薄膜太阳能电池光俘获效应的影响

本文用时域有限差分法对硅层等效厚度为100 nm的具有不同前后光栅周期的介质/金属双光栅结构薄膜太阳能电池进行了模拟分析,比较了三角形最佳相同与不同周期光栅结构的吸收光谱特性,分析了光栅高度、填充比、硅吸收层厚度对最佳相同和不同周期光栅结构光吸收特性的影响,以及相应结构中导致光吸收增强的共振模式.结果表明前后光栅周期为1:1的共形双光栅结构中存在光泄漏现象,偏离1:1后的光栅结构可有效地抑制低级次衍射光的泄漏,前光栅周期小于后光栅周期的结构光吸收性能的提高来自于平面波导模式在吸收层中的有效激发和传播,而前光栅周期大于后光栅周期的结构光吸收性能的提高则来自于后光栅界面上所激发的等离子体极化模式.在较厚的硅吸收层厚度,前后光栅周期比为1:2和1:3的电池结构也会出现光泄漏现象,从而使具有最大光吸收效率的结构偏离这些周期比结构的位置.     

Enhanced optical transmission through a subwavelength 1D aperture

We present finite difference time domain simulations of the enhancement of the optical transmission through a single subwavelength slit in a thick metal film caused by resonances of the electromagnetic fields in and near the slit. These can be enhanced by including a periodic modulation on the in-coupling surface, and the dependence of the transmission on the grating structural parameters is analysed in detail.     

Modification of optical absorption of molecule near metallic nanoparticles

We provide an analytical model for the enhancement of optical absorption of active molecules when they are placed in the vicinity of metal nanoparticles of subwavelength dimensions. Through Mie theory, in the context of plane wave expansion (PWE) of a single sphere, we have shown that for a fully random molecular orientation, the absorption enhancement factor is equal to the local field intensity enhancement factor and depends strongly on the nanoparticle size-enabling optimization and separation between the object and metal sphere. With this understanding to the modified absorption, we call for further efforts in the engineering of the perfect absorber.     

Polarization and Color Separator Using Binary Phase Grating with Subwavelength Period

A data projector using three liquid crystal display panels has a complex optical system. The illuminating optics separate the beam from a light source into three primary colors and separate those into opposite polarizations using multi-layer films and prisms. A reflection grating with the period of subwavelength has high diffraction efficiency for p polarized light and high regularly reflectance for s polarized light. The diffraction angle of a grating largely depends on the wavelength, because a diffractive optical element (DOE) has large chromatic dispersion. The grating with the period of subwavelength can separate the unpolarized light into polarization components effectively using its polarization dependency and can separate white light into color components using its chromatic dispersion simultaneously. The grating makes the optical system simpler and smaller than those with conventional devices. In this paper the efficiency of polarization separation for the grating is calculated by a rigorous analytical method. Next, the condition for color separation is calculated by Snell#x0027;s law, and an optical system using a grating that performs polarization and color separation is proposed. Experimental results of the DOE fabricated are well matched with those of this simulation.     

Measurement Error of Interferometers with Diffraction Reference Wave

Technical Physics - An experimental setup and results on aberration of sources of a reference spherical wave (SRSW) based on a single-mode optical fiber with a subwavelength output aperture...