Materials with large optical anisotropy are sought after for polarization control, nonlinear phase matching, the realization of unconventional surface waves, among other applications in classical and quantum optics. Here, we demonstrate a bulk uniaxial crystal with atomic-scale structural modulations, Sr9/8TiS3, has a record birefringence Δn = 2.1 across a broad transparent window in the mid- to far-infrared. The excess Sr atoms, compared to stoichiometric SrTiS3, introduce additional electrons into TiS6 octahedral blocks to form highly polarizable clouds, which selectively boost the extraordinary refractive index. Structural modulation is a new tool for the engineering of refractive-index and anisotropy of quantum materials.
We previously demonstrated that the insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) temperature of vanadium dioxide (VO2) can be modified by engineering its defect density via ion implantation. Here, we quantitatively characterize the defect-induced changes to the IMT temperature and optical refractive indices with respect to the ion fluence. We identify an ion-fluence regime in which the IMT temperature can be modified without changes to the optical contrast between the pure phases, which is generally favorable for reconfigurable photonic applications. As a demonstration, we were able to lower the triggering temperature of a VO2-based optical limiter by 18 °C without trading off its transmittance contrast.
We demonstrated the fabrication of thin-film stacks comprising mid-infrared-transparent dielectric layers and active optical materials, enabling the creation of tunable mid-infrared filters. In particular, we designed and fabricated an induced-transmission filter (ITF)—a dielectric thin-film filter that uses an ultrathin metal layer to remove unwanted sidebands around a desired passband—where the metal layer is replaced by a prototype phase-transition material, vanadium dioxide (VO2). We designed filters with one or more tunable passbands, and experimentally demonstrated a filter that switches between a broadband transmission window in the mid infrared (8 – 12 µm) and a narrow passband centered around 8.8 µm.
Patterning graphene into nanostructures enables the coupling of free space radiation to plasmons in graphene. These plasmons are highly tunable and have been used in such applications as tunable filters and chemical sensors in the THz and mid-infrared ranges, with graphene structures with characteristic dimensions of 15 nm of greater. Here, we will demonstrate that block copolymer based fabrication can create sub 15 nm plasmonically active graphene nanostructures in a scalable, efficient, and repeatable manner. Furthermore, we will report the first measurement of a near-infrared graphene plasmon resonance and discuss some implications for next-generation optoelectrical devices.
We present several designs and experimental implementations of optical power diodes – devices that are designed to be transparent from one direction, but opaque from the other, when illuminated by a beam with sufficient intensity. Optical power diodes can be used to protect optical devices that both detect and transmit light.
Our designs are based on phase-change material vanadium dioxide (VO2), which undergoes an insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) that can be triggered thermally or optically. Here, VO2 films serve as nonlinear elements that can be transformed from transparent to opaque by intense illumination. We build thin-film metallic structures on top of the VO2 films such that the optical absorption becomes asymmetric – light impinging from one direction is absorbed at a higher rate than from the other direction, triggering the transition, and turning the device opaque. This results in asymmetric transmission.
The designs are optimized with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, using optical constants of VO2 extracted using ellipsometry, and are shown to be scalable across the near- and mid-infrared. Our initial experimental results using a simple design comprised of metal and VO2 films on sapphire, designed for an operating wavelength of 1.35µm, show a transmission asymmetry ratio of ~2, and experiments with superior designs are ongoing. Future work will include the use of defect-engineered VO2 to engineer the intensity threshold of optical power diodes.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.