Kim Y.H., Alali F., Furlani E.P.
University at Buffalo (SUNY), US
Keywords: chiral metamaterials, metamaterials, metasurface, optical rotation, plasmon-enhanced linear birefringence, plasmonics
Advancements in nanotechnology have enabled the realization of unique artificial materials for applications in the field of nanophotonics. Such metamaterials are engineered with sub-wavelength features to provide extraordinary optical properties such as negative refraction1, slow light and cloaking2,3 etc. As such, these materials hold promise for transformative advances in fields that include optical imaging, sensing, communications, computing and stealth technology. In this presentation, we propose a new class of metamaterials in the form of ultra-thin nanostructured metallo-dielectric metasurfaces, which are designed to manipulate the polarization state of light and produce giant optical rotation with relatively low loss. These materials are formed from planar arrays of metamolecules that consist of achiral plasmonic nanostructures encapsulated within a chiral-patterned lossless dielectric layer. At plasmon resonance, the sub-wavelength nanoinclusions produce enhanced polarization of the surrounding dielectric, which gives rise to optical rotation in the transmitted field. We demonstrate proof-of-principle for a prototype material consisting of a two-dimensional array of chiral Z-patterned metamolecules that contain an embedded gold nanorod along their length. We also discuss applications of these materials to biosensing.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Nanotechnology 2014: MEMS, Fluidics, Bio Systems, Medical, Computational & Photonics
Published: June 15, 2014
Pages: 427 - 430
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Photonic Materials & Devices
ISBN: 978-1-4822-5827-1