Topology optimization for nano‐photonics

Topology optimization is a computational tool that can be used for the systematic design of photonic crystals, waveguides, resonators, filters and plasmonics. The method was originally developed for mechanical design problems but has within the last six years been applied to a range of photonics applications. Topology optimization may be based on finite element and finite difference type modeling methods in both frequency and time domain. The basic idea is that the material density of each element or grid point is a design variable, hence the geometry is parameterized in a pixel‐like fashion. The optimization problem is efficiently solved using mathematical programming‐based optimization methods and analytical gradient calculations. The paper reviews the basic procedures behind topology optimization, a large number of applications ranging from photonic crystal design to surface plasmonic devices, and lists some of the future challenges in non‐linear applications.     

后退火处理对铟锡氧化物表面等离激元共振特性的影响

近年来,表面等离激元光子学发展迅速,并取得了众多新成果.重掺杂半导体材料的表面等离激元共振性质的研究,也得到了人们越来越多的关注.本文通过纳米球刻印技术制备准三维二氧化硅纳米球阵列,在阵列上沉积铟锡氧化物薄膜,通过不同条件下的后退火处理改变铟锡氧化物薄膜的载流子浓度和载流子迁移率,并研究随着材料性质的改变其相应表面等离激元共振特性的变化规律.结果表明：退火处理均使铟锡氧化物薄膜的晶粒长大,光学透过率增加;在空气中退火会导致铟锡氧化物薄膜的载流子浓度减少,其表面等离激元共振峰红移;而真空退火则使铟锡氧化物薄膜的载流子浓度增加,共振峰蓝移.这些研究结果可为后续铟锡氧化物表面等离激元材料及器件的研究提供科学依据和实际指导.     

Plasmonic couplers with metal nonlinearities

Usually nonlinear response of metals is neglected in the study of plasmonic waveguiding structures. Recent prediction of strong third-order optical response of metals due to ponderomotive forces opens up novel possibilities for utilizing this effect in the design of active plasmonic devices. We discuss the possibility of implementation of nonlinear response of metals in the design of plasmonic coupler. We analyze the structure and dispersions of linear and nonlinear guided plasmonic modes of two coupled thin metallic films and predict bifurcations of symmetry breaking.     

A compact square-shaped left-handed passive metamaterial with optimized quintuple resonance frequencies for satellite applications

The research aims to develop a more sophisticated novel left-handed and compact square-shaped metamaterial (SM) inspired multi-frequency bands like C-, X- and Ku-band applications. Even though the performance of existing satellite application devices are adequate, significant changes in technology over the past decades require advanced and more accurate techniques or devices. Hence, we approach the problem with a broader perspective by integrating a metamaterial structure in satellite application devices. As a general rule, the unconventional material known as metamaterial has extraordinary electromagnetic properties which are impracticable in commercially available materials. It represents an important study topic because this type of peculiar material is generally used in many field applications which encouraged us to experiment with the stated frequency bands by introducing a novel SM design. The novel SM design structure involved a 1.6 mm Epoxy Resin Fibre (FR-4) substrate material. This compact metamaterial design contains nine square rings with an altered small square ring joined in it. The numerical simulation of the SM design for satellite frequencies was performed using the Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio. The scattering parameters of the suggested SM design were determined by utilising Finite Integration Technique (FIT) in CST software. Several parametric studies that were analysed in this study include various design structure, types of substrate materials and SM array arrangement. Based on the adapted simulated frequency range (4 to 18 GHz), the unit cell SM exhibited five resonance frequencies at 5.49 and 7.33 GHz (in C-Band), 9.05 and 11.38 GHz (in X-Band) and 13.48 GHz (in Ku-Band). The measured resonance frequencies of the unit cell were 5.62 and 7.39 GHz (in C-Band), 9.15 and 11.32 GHz (in X-Band) and 13.51 GHz (in Ku-Band). The resonance frequencies obtained from both methods were similar. According to all three resonance frequencies, the SM design manifested a left-handed characteristic. Hence, on this basis, the proposed SM design with unique characteristics is deemed suitable for C-, X- and Ku-bands applications.     

Nanowire plasmonic waveguides,circuits and devices

As typical one‐dimensional nanostructures for waveguiding tightly confined optical fields beyond the diffraction limit, metal nanowires have been used as versatile nanoscale building blocks for functional plasmonic and photonic structures and devices. Metal nanowires, especially those fabricated by bottom‐up synthesis such as Ag and Au nanowires, usually exhibit excellent diameter uniformity and surface smoothness with diameters down to tens of nanometers, which offers great opportunities for plasmonic waveguiding of optical fields with deep‐subwavelength confinement, coherence maintenance and low scattering losses. Based on nanowire plasmonic waveguides, a variety of applications ranging from plasmonic couplers, interferometers, resonators to photon emitters have been reported in recent years. In this article, significant progresses in these nanowire plasmonic waveguides, circuits and devices are reviewed. Future outlook and challenges are also discussed.     

Light–matter interaction of 2D materials:Physics and device applications

In the last decade, the rise of two-dimensional(2D) materials has attracted a tremendous amount of interest for the entire field of photonics and opto-electronics. The mechanism of light–matter interaction in 2D materials challenges the knowledge of materials physics, which drives the rapid development of materials synthesis and device applications. 2D materials coupled with plasmonic effects show impressive optical characteristics, involving efficient charge transfer, plasmonic hot electrons doping, enhanced light-emitting, and ultrasensitive photodetection. Here, we briefly review the recent remarkable progress of 2D materials, mainly on graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, focusing on their tunable optical properties and improved opto-electronic devices with plasmonic effects. The mechanism of plasmon enhanced light–matter interaction in 2D materials is elaborated in detail, and the state-of-the-art of device applications is comprehensively described. In the future, the field of 2D materials holds great promise as an important platform for materials science and opto-electronic engineering, enabling an emerging interdisciplinary research field spanning from clean energy to information technology.     

基于等离激元多重杂化效应的光吸收结构

近年来,以聚合物为代表的高分子材料由于具有比其他光吸收材料(如半导体材料、碳基材料以及贵金属纳米材料)更好的柔性和粘弹性而受到广泛关注.本文基于等离子体再聚合技术和磁控溅射工艺在聚合物材料层上制备了具有等离激元多重杂化效应的光吸收结构,该结构具有宽谱高吸收特性.该结构的制备工艺简单易行,对不同聚合物材料具有通用性,在光学器件领域具有广泛的应用前景.     

Possible implementation of epsilon-near-zero metamaterials working at optical frequencies

Metamaterials (MTMs) exhibiting a near-zero real part of the permittivity function in a given frequency range have been demonstrated to be useful in several application fields, including field localization and focusing. So far, however, the realistic implementations of such materials working at optical frequencies and exhibiting a reasonable level of losses are rare. In this work, we propose a possible implementation of optical epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) MTMs based on the employment of an array of core-shell nano-spheres embedded in a dielectric medium. The core of the nano-spheres and the host medium are both made of silica, while the shell is formed by a plasmonic material (i.e. silver). Using classical homogenization formulas, we show that it is possible to design the array in such a way to exhibit near-zero values of the effective real permittivity with relatively low losses at optical frequencies. These results are supported and confirmed by proper full-wave simulations and design examples.     

Surface-plasmon-assisted guiding of broadband slow and subwavelength light in air

A class of axially uniform waveguides is introduced, employing a new mechanism to guide light inside a low-index dielectric material without the use of photonic band gap, and simultaneously exhibiting subwavelength modal size and very slow group velocity over an unusually large frequency bandwidth. Their basis is the presence of plasmonic modes on the interfaces between dielectric regions and the flat unpatterned surface of a bulk metallic substrate. These novel waveguides allow for easy broadband coupling and exhibit absorption losses limited only by the intrinsic loss of the metal.     

Stamping plasmonic nanoarrays on SERS‐supporting platforms

The dielectric property of a nanoparticle‐supporting film has recently garnered attention in the fabrication of plasmonic surfaces. A few studies have shown that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and hence surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), strongly depends on the substrate refractive index. In order to create higher efficiency SERS‐active surfaces, it is therefore necessary to consider the substrate property along with nanoparticle morphology. However, due to certain limitations of conventional lithography, it is often not feasible to create well‐defined plasmonic nanoarrays on a substrate of interest. Here, an additive nanofabrication technique, i.e., nanotransfer printing (nTP), is implemented to integrate electron beam lithography (EBL) defined high‐aspect‐ratio nanofeatures on a variety of SERS‐supporting surfaces. With the aid of suitable surface chemistries, a wide range of plasmonic particles were successfully integrated on surfaces of three physically and chemically distinct dielectric materials, namely, polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS), SU‐8 photoresist, and glass surfaces, using silicon‐based relief pillars. These nTP‐created metal nanoparticles strongly amplify the Raman signal and complement the selection of suitable substrates for better SERS enhancement. Our experimental observations are also supported by theoretical calculations. The implementation of nTP to stamp out metal nanoparticles on a multitude conventional/unconventional substrates has novel applications in designing in‐built plasmonic microanalytical devices for SERS sensing and other related photonic studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface plasmon polariton waveguides with subwavelength confinement

Surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs) are evanescent waves propagating along metal-dielectric interfaces, which provide an effective way to realize optical wave guiding with subwavelength confinement. Metallic nanostructures supporting SPPs,that is, plasmonic waveguides, are considered as required components to construct nanophotonic devices and circuits with a high degree of miniaturization and integration. In this paper, various types of plasmonic waveguides operating in the visible, infrared, and terahertz regions are reviewed, and the status of the research on their fundamentals, fabrications,and applications is provided as well. First, we discuss the mechanisms of SPPs beyond the diffraction limit, and their launching methods. Then, the characteristics of SPPs on various plasmonic waveguides are reviewed, including top-down and bottom-up fabricated types. Considering applications, certain prototypes of plasmonic devices and circuits constructed by plasmonic waveguides for bio/chemo sensing, router, and light modulation are demonstrated. Finally, a summary and future outlook of plasmonic waveguides are given.     

Electrochemical structure‐switching sensing using nanoplasmonic devices

In this article, the implementation of electrochemical plasmonic nanostructures functionalized with DNA‐based structure‐switching sensors is presented. eNanoSPR devices with open and microfluidic measurement cells are developed on the base of nanohole arrays in 100 nm gold film and applied for combined microscopic and electrochemical surface plasmon (eSPR) visualization. eSPR voltammograms and spectroscopy are performed using planar three electrode schematic with plasmonic nanostructure operated as working electrode. Limit of detection of eNanoSPR devices for oligonucleotide hybridization is estimated in the low nanomolar and applications for structure‐switching electro‐plasmonic sensing in complex liquids are discussed.     

Switchable surface plasmon dichroic splitter modulated by optical polarization

For the miniaturization of optical devices, surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) have been widely utilized due to their outstanding confinement and field‐enhancement characteristics. Analyzing a spectrum of optical signals and splitting certain regions of the spectrum range within a submicrometer‐scale structure are demanded for optical integrated systems. In this paper, a novel type of dichroic surface plasmon launcher that can switch the launching direction according to incident polarization states is demonstrated. Compared to the previously reported plasmonic dichroic splitters, the proposed schemes do not use any asymmetric geometry for directional launching. Hence, the direction of guided SPPs can be interchanged according to the polarization state. Such characteristics will be helpful to design switchable plasmonic devices that can be applied to active plasmonic integrated circuits.     

Recent progress on integrating two-dimensional materials with ferroelectrics for memory devices and photodetectors

Two-dimensional(2D) materials, such as graphene and Mo S2 related transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDC), have attracted much attention for their potential applications. Ferroelectrics, one of the special and traditional dielectric materials,possess a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reversed by the application of an external electric field. In recent years, a new type of device, combining 2D materials with ferroelectrics, has been fabricated. Many novel devices have been fabricated, such as low power consumption memory devices, highly sensitive photo-transistors, etc. using this technique of hybrid systems incorporating ferroelectrics and 2D materials. This paper reviews two types of devices based on field effect transistor(FET) structures with ferroelectric gate dielectric construction(termed Fe FET). One type of device is for logic applications, such as a graphene and TMDC Fe FET for fabricating memory units. Another device is for optoelectric applications, such as high performance phototransistors using a graphene p-n junction. Finally, we discuss the prospects for future applications of 2D material Fe FET.     

Room-temperature plasmonic resonant absorption for grating-gate GaN HEMTs in far infrared terahertz domain

The plasmonic resonant phenomenon in the terahertz wave band for GaN high electron mobility transistors is investigated by using a finite difference time domain method. Strong resonant absorptions can be obtained where a large area slit grating-gate serves both as electrodes and coupler. Such kinds of plasmonic resonant detection devices are compatible to the well-developed GaN process, and possibly overcome the difficulty in fabricating ultra-short-gate devices for terahertz applications.     

金属微结构纳米线中等离激元传播和分光特性

本文从理论和实验两方面探讨了具有微结构的金属纳米线系统中表面等离激元传播规律和分光特性. 我们由麦克斯韦方程组出发, 利用严格耦合波近似和有限元差分等方法首先从理论上给出了金属纳米线系统中等离激元的色散关系和能带特征, 然后基于微结构的银纳米线及其等离激元能带结构, 设计并制备出等离激元分光原型器件, 实验展示其将不同频率的光在微小空间分离的特性. 该研究结果是我们前期相关工作的延续和补充, 可应用于构造多功能集成的光子芯片和新型亚波长光电材料和器件.     

Electro-Optic Polymer Integrated Optic Devices and Future Applications

Recent developments in electro-optic polymer materials and devices have led to new opportunities for integrated optic devices in numerous applications. The results of numerous tests have indicated that polymer materials have many properties that are suitable for use in high-speed communications systems, various sensor systems, and space applications. These results, coupled with recent advances in device and material technology, will allow very large bandwidth modulators and switches with low drive voltages, improved loss, long-term stability, and integration with other microelectronic devices such as MEMS. Low drive voltage devices are very important for space applications where power consumption scales as the square of the modulator half-wave voltage. In addition, we have demonstrated novel dual polymer modulators for mixing RF signals to produce sum and difference frequency modulation on an optical beam. This novel approach allows the suppression of the modulation at the two input RF signals, and only the mixing signals remain superposed on the optical beam. The dual modulator can be used for various encoding/decoding and frequency conversion schemes that are frequently used for both terrestrial and space communications. Another application of polymer integrated optics is in the field of optical sensing for high-frequency (GHz) electric fields.     

Electro-Optic Polymer Integrated Optic Devices and Future Applications

Recent developments in electro-optic polymer materials and devices have led to new opportunities for integrated optic devices in numerous applications. The results of numerous tests have indicated that polymer materials have many properties that are suitable for use in high-speed communications systems, various sensor systems, and space applications. These results, coupled with recent advances in device and material technology, will allow very large bandwidth modulators and switches with low drive voltages, improved loss, long-term stability, and integration with other microelectronic devices such as MEMS. Low drive voltage devices are very important for space applications where power consumption scales as the square of the modulator half-wave voltage. In addition, we have demonstrated novel dual polymer modulators for mixing RF signals to produce sum and difference frequency modulation on an optical beam. This novel approach allows the suppression of the modulation at the two input RF signals, and only the mixing signals remain superposed on the optical beam. The dual modulator can be used for various encoding/decoding and frequency conversion schemes that are frequently used for both terrestrial and space communications. Another application of polymer integrated optics is in the field of optical sensing for high-frequency (GHz) electric fields.     

银纳米线表面等离激元波导的能量损耗

金属纳米结构的表面等离激元可以突破光学衍射极限,为光子器件的微型化和集成光学芯片的实现奠定基础.基于表面等离激元的各种基本光学元件已经研制出来.然而,由于金属结构的固有欧姆损耗以及向衬底的辐射损耗等,表面等离激元的传输能量损耗较大,极大地制约了其在纳米光子器件和回路中的应用.研究能量损耗的影响因素以及如何有效降低能量损耗对未来光子器件的实际应用具有重要意义.本文从纳米线表面等离激元的基本模式出发,介绍了它在不同条件下的场分布和传输特性,在此基础上着重讨论纳米线表面等离激元传输损耗的影响因素和测量方法以及目前常用的降低传输损耗的思路.最后给出总结以及如何进一步降低能量损耗方法的展望.表面等离激元能量损耗的相关研究对于纳米光子器件的设计和集成光子回路的构建有着重要作用.     

深亚波长约束的表面等离子体纳米激光器研究

本文提出了一种新颖的基于半导体纳米线/空气间隙/金属薄膜 复合结构的表面等离子体纳米激光器, 并给出了理论研究和仿真分析. 这种结构通过金属界面的表面等离子体模式与高增益介质纳米线波导模式耦合, 从而使场增强效应得到显著提高. 同时通过数值仿真研究, 得到该混合波导结构的模式特性和增益阈值随空气槽宽度、纳米线半径的变化规律, 表明它可以实现对输出光场的深亚波长约束, 同时保持低损耗传输和高场强限制能力. 通过最优化选择, 最终得到纳米等离子体激光器的最优结构尺寸. 关键词： 表面等离子体 混合等离子体波导 纳米激光器