Negative refraction in semiconductor metamaterials.
TL;DR: A comparatively low-loss, three-dimensional, all-semiconductor metamaterial that exhibits negative refraction for all incidence angles in the long-wave infrared region and requires only an anisotropic dielectric function with a single resonance is demonstrated.
Abstract: An optical metamaterial is a composite in which subwavelength features, rather than the constituent materials, control the macroscopic electromagnetic properties of the material. Recently, properly designed metamaterials have garnered much interest because of their unusual interaction with electromagnetic waves. Whereas nature seems to have limits on the type of materials that exist, newly invented metamaterials are not bound by such constraints. These newly accessible electromagnetic properties make these materials an excellent platform for demonstrating unusual optical phenomena and unique applications such as subwavelength imaging and planar lens design. 'Negative-index materials', as first proposed, required the permittivity, epsilon, and permeability, mu, to be simultaneously less than zero, but such materials face limitations. Here, we demonstrate a comparatively low-loss, three-dimensional, all-semiconductor metamaterial that exhibits negative refraction for all incidence angles in the long-wave infrared region and requires only an anisotropic dielectric function with a single resonance. Using reflection and transmission measurements and a comprehensive model of the material, we demonstrate that our material exhibits negative refraction. This is furthermore confirmed through a straightforward beam optics experiment. This work will influence future metamaterial designs and their incorporation into optical semiconductor devices.
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TL;DR: Progress in the optics of metasurfaces is reviewed and promising applications for surface-confined planar photonics components are discussed and the studies of new, low-loss, tunable plasmonic materials—such as transparent conducting oxides and intermetallics—that can be used as building blocks for metAsurfaces will complement the exploration of smart designs and advanced switching capabilities.
Abstract: Metamaterials, or engineered materials with rationally designed, subwavelength-scale building blocks, allow us to control the behavior of physical fields in optical, microwave, radio, acoustic, heat transfer, and other applications with flexibility and performance that are unattainable with naturally available materials. In turn, metasurfaces-planar, ultrathin metamaterials-extend these capabilities even further. Optical metasurfaces offer the fascinating possibility of controlling light with surface-confined, flat components. In the planar photonics concept, it is the reduced dimensionality of the optical metasurfaces that enables new physics and, therefore, leads to functionalities and applications that are distinctly different from those achievable with bulk, multilayer metamaterials. Here, we review the progress in developing optical metasurfaces that has occurred over the past few years with an eye toward the promising future directions in the field.
2,562 citations
TL;DR: Bulk optical metamaterials open up prospects for studies of 3D optical effects and applications associated with NIMs and zero-index materials such as reversed Doppler effect, superlenses, optical tunnelling devices, compact resonators and highly directional sources.
Abstract: Metamaterials are artificially engineered structures that have properties, such as a negative refractive index, not attainable with naturally occurring materials. Negative-index metamaterials (NIMs) were first demonstrated for microwave frequencies, but it has been challenging to design NIMs for optical frequencies and they have so far been limited to optically thin samples because of significant fabrication challenges and strong energy dissipation in metals. Such thin structures are analogous to a monolayer of atoms, making it difficult to assign bulk properties such as the index of refraction. Negative refraction of surface plasmons was recently demonstrated but was confined to a two-dimensional waveguide. Three-dimensional (3D) optical metamaterials have come into focus recently, including the realization of negative refraction by using layered semiconductor metamaterials and a 3D magnetic metamaterial in the infrared frequencies; however, neither of these had a negative index of refraction. Here we report a 3D optical metamaterial having negative refractive index with a very high figure of merit of 3.5 (that is, low loss). This metamaterial is made of cascaded 'fishnet' structures, with a negative index existing over a broad spectral range. Moreover, it can readily be probed from free space, making it functional for optical devices. We construct a prism made of this optical NIM to demonstrate negative refractive index at optical frequencies, resulting unambiguously from the negative phase evolution of the wave propagating inside the metamaterial. Bulk optical metamaterials open up prospects for studies of 3D optical effects and applications associated with NIMs and zero-index materials such as reversed Doppler effect, superlenses, optical tunnelling devices, compact resonators and highly directional sources.
2,025 citations
TL;DR: This review explores different material classes for plasmonic and metamaterial applications, such as conventional semiconductors, transparent conducting oxides, perovskiteOxides, metal nitrides, silicides, germanides, and 2D materials such as graphene.
Abstract: Materials research plays a vital role in transforming breakthrough scientific ideas into next-generation technology. Similar to the way silicon revolutionized the microelectronics industry, the proper materials can greatly impact the field of plasmonics and metamaterials. Currently, research in plasmonics and metamaterials lacks good material building blocks in order to realize useful devices. Such devices suffer from many drawbacks arising from the undesirable properties of their material building blocks, especially metals. There are many materials, other than conventional metallic components such as gold and silver, that exhibit metallic properties and provide advantages in device performance, design flexibility, fabrication, integration, and tunability. This review explores different material classes for plasmonic and metamaterial applications, such as conventional semiconductors, transparent conducting oxides, perovskite oxides, metal nitrides, silicides, germanides, and 2D materials such as graphene. This review provides a summary of the recent developments in the search for better plasmonic materials and an outlook of further research directions.
1,836 citations
TL;DR: A comparative study of various materials including metals, metal alloys and heavily doped semiconductors is presented in this article, where the performance of each material is evaluated based on quality factors defined for each class of plasmonic devices.
Abstract: Plasmonics is a research area merging the fields of optics and nanoelectronics by confining light with relatively large free-space wavelength to the nanometer scale - thereby enabling a family of novel devices. Current plasmonic devices at telecommunication and optical frequencies face significant challenges due to losses encountered in the constituent plasmonic materials. These large losses seriously limit the practicality of these metals for many novel applications. This paper provides an overview of alternative plasmonic materials along with motivation for each material choice and important aspects of fabrication. A comparative study of various materials including metals, metal alloys and heavily doped semiconductors is presented. The performance of each material is evaluated based on quality factors defined for each class of plasmonic devices. Most importantly, this paper outlines an approach for realizing optimal plasmonic material properties for specific frequencies and applications, thereby providing a reference for those searching for better plasmonic materials.
1,615 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe recent progress in the fabrication of three-dimensional metamaterial structures and discuss some of the remaining challenges, including ultra-high-resolution imaging systems, compact polarization optics and cloaking devices.
Abstract: Photonic metamaterials are man-made structures composed of tailored micro- or nanostructured metallodielectric subwavelength building blocks. This deceptively simple yet powerful concept allows the realization of many new and unusual optical properties, such as magnetism at optical frequencies, negative refractive index, large positive refractive index, zero reflection through impedance matching, perfect absorption, giant circular dichroism and enhanced nonlinear optical properties. Possible applications of metamaterials include ultrahigh-resolution imaging systems, compact polarization optics and cloaking devices. This Review describes recent progress in the fabrication of three-dimensional metamaterial structures and discusses some of the remaining challenges.
1,594 citations
References
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10,495 citations
"Negative refraction in semiconducto..." refers background in this paper
...Recently, properly designed metamaterials have garnered much interest because of their unusual interaction with electromagnetic wave...
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TL;DR: These experiments directly confirm the predictions of Maxwell's equations that n is given by the negative square root ofɛ·μ for the frequencies where both the permittivity and the permeability are negative.
Abstract: We present experimental scattering data at microwave frequencies on a structured metamaterial that exhibits a frequency band where the effective index of refraction (n) is negative. The material consists of a two-dimensional array of repeated unit cells of copper strips and split ring resonators on interlocking strips of standard circuit board material. By measuring the scattering angle of the transmitted beam through a prism fabricated from this material, we determine the effective n, appropriate to Snell's law. These experiments directly confirm the predictions of Maxwell's equations that n is given by the negative square root of epsilon.mu for the frequencies where both the permittivity (epsilon) and the permeability (mu) are negative. Configurations of geometrical optical designs are now possible that could not be realized by positive index materials.
8,477 citations
"Negative refraction in semiconducto..." refers background in this paper
...Recently, properly designed metamaterials have garnered much interest because of their unusual interaction with electromagnetic wave...
[...]
TL;DR: A composite medium, based on a periodic array of interspaced conducting nonmagnetic split ring resonators and continuous wires, that exhibits a frequency region in the microwave regime with simultaneously negative values of effective permeability and permittivity varepsilon(eff)(omega).
Abstract: We demonstrate a composite medium, based on a periodic array of interspaced conducting nonmagnetic split ring resonators and continuous wires, that exhibits a frequency region in the microwave regime with
8,057 citations
"Negative refraction in semiconducto..." refers background in this paper
...Recently, properly designed metamaterials have garnered much interest because of their unusual interaction with electromagnetic wave...
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, a review describes the recent progress made in creating nanostructured metamaterials with a negative index at optical wavelengths, and discusses some of the devices that could result from these new materials.
Abstract: Artificially engineered metamaterials are now demonstrating unprecedented electromagnetic properties that cannot be obtained with naturally occurring materials. In particular, they provide a route to creating materials that possess a negative refractive index and offer exciting new prospects for manipulating light. This review describes the recent progress made in creating nanostructured metamaterials with a negative index at optical wavelengths, and discusses some of the devices that could result from these new materials.
2,654 citations
"Negative refraction in semiconducto..." refers background in this paper
...The FOM is an accepted value for characterizing materials that exhibit negative refraction and the presented metamaterial improves on this parameter significantl...
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TL;DR: A 4×4-matrix technique was introduced by Teitler and Henvis as discussed by the authors to solve the problem of reflection and transmission by cholesteric liquid crystals and other liquid crystals with continuously varying but planar ordering.
Abstract: A 4×4-matrix technique was recently introduced by Teitler and Henvis for finding propagation and reflection by stratified anisotropic media. It is more general than the 2×2-matrix technique developed by Jones and by Abeles and is applicable to problems involving media of low optical symmetry. A little later, we developed a 4×4 differential-matrix technique in order to solve the problem of reflection and transmission by cholesteric liquid crystals and other liquid crystals with continuously varying but planar ordering. Our technique is mathematically equivalent to that of Teitler and Henvis, but we used a somewhat different approach. We start with a 6×6-matrix representation of Maxwell’s equations that can include Faraday rotation and optical activity. From this, we derive expressions for 16 differential-matrix elements so that a wide variety of specific problems can be attacked without repeating a large amount of tedious algebra. The 4×4-matrix technique is particularly well suited for solving complicated reflection and transmission problems on a computer. It also serves as an illuminating alternative way to rederive closed solutions to a number of less-complicated classical problems. Teitler and Henvis described a method of solving some of these problems, briefly in their paper. We give solutions to several such problems and add a solution to the Oseen–DeVries optical model of a cholesteric liquid crystal, to illustrate the power and simplicity of the 4×4-matrix technique.
1,787 citations
"Negative refraction in semiconducto..." refers methods in this paper
...The results were obtained using an anisotropic transfer matrix approac...
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