The monitoring of Earth’s atmosphere requires routine measurements of many gasses and aerosols. The most common technique to perform this task is hyperspectral imaging (HSI). However, with the push to integrate HSI sensing capabilities on small platforms, e.g. cubesats and UAVs, the development of smaller, cheaper, higher performing, and low power HSI systems is necessary. Current HSI systems are composed of a large and complex assortment of lenses, filters and cameras that are large, heavy, expensive, and intolerant to physical shocks—all things that make them challenging for use in space-based sensing and imaging applications. The metamaterial filter described in this work eliminates the need for many of the previously necessary optics because it can spectrally filter light independent of the lights angle of incidence—this allows for a focused beam of light to be filtered by the metamaterial. This is in distinct contrast to grating-based HSI systems where the spectrometer requires collimated light. Additionally, the metamaterial filter is designed to filter light only at the desired spectral bands; this is a great benefit for small-platform systems because of the substantially reduced data rate and required computational resources.
The health of Earth’s atmosphere and its ecosystems are of vital importance to humanity. To assess the current state of the atmosphere and its rate of degradation, the monitoring of atmospheric gasses and particulates is necessary. The development of next-generation Low size, weight, and power (SWaP) sensors and instruments which are required for this task is a high priority for NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO). The primary tool to monitor atmospheric gasses is hyperspectral imaging (HSI). Current HSI systems are composed of a large and complex assortment of lenses, filters and cameras that are large, heavy, expensive, and intolerant to physical shocks—all things that make them challenging for use in space-based sensing and imaging applications. As an alternative, a Low SWaP sensor is made possible by integrating a compact HSI sensor onto a CubeSat or SmallSat platform, which is much cheaper to deploy vs. a conventional satellite. To facilitate this, metamaterials are employed at the detector level to reduce the optical components required for HSI, while still providing comparable performance. The metamaterial studied here replaces a conventional grating disperser in a HSI system, by being compatible with a focused beam (fast optics) while spectrally filtering a particular spectral channel.
An angle-insensitive metamaterial spectral filter (MS) that demonstrates great potential as a spectral disperser within hyperspectral imaging (HSI) was simulated and analyzed. The innovation of the MS is its operation on the principle of coupled resonances, whereby coupling the classical narrowband Fabry-Perot (FP) resonance and a broadband cavity mode (CM) resonance can tune its dispersive spectral behavior. This results in the MS transmitting a narrow passband within a broad stopband for a focused light cone. Compared to conventional methods, this novel approach has the potential to reduce the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of a HSI system. Currently, hyperspectral sensors require bulky dispersion controlling optics to collimate the incoming beam due to physical limitations set forth by the disperser. Because the disperser is usually a transmission/reflection grating, the angle of the incident beam significantly impacts whether the correct wavelength is incident on the sensor. At even a slightly off-normal (AoI), the beam could either miss the sensor entirely, or create cross talk between adjacent pixels. This fundamental limitation produces difficulties in managing obliquely incident light, hence the need for collimation. To get around this, the AoI insensitive metamaterial will be used in the place of the disperser and collimated optics to properly deliver obliquely incident light to the detector. When applied correctly, the MS can be used within a remote sensing detector to provide high performance spectroscopy that is similar to larger heritage sensors.
We have developed a low SWaP-C enabling Metamaterial Spectrometer (MMS) device for hyperspectral imaging in the MWIR. Our chip-based MMS device couples a Distributed Bragg Stack filter with a sub-wavelength dielectric resonator metasurface. The former gives the device a narrow passband, while the latter can be pixelated into an arbitrary number of parallel spectral channels, each with an independently engineerable center wavelength and bandwidth to create a hyperspectral or multispectral filter. The all-dielectric structure provides low optical loss vs. metallic plasmonic resonators. The metasurface resonators are engineered to accept light across a wide angle-of-incidence cone while being integrated directly into existing focal plane array (FPA) detectors. A wide acceptance cone of light eliminates the need for collimating optics, thereby reducing the SWaP requirements of the MMS relative to competing technologies. The MMS can be fabricated on a wafer scale using standard nanofabrication techniques, which are cost-effective for highvolume manufacturing. Although our initial prototype has been implemented in the MWIR, the generalized MMS structure can be implemented in other infrared spectral ranges by via appropriate choices of materials and rescaling of dimensions. Potential commercial applications of the hyperspectral MMS include environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, antiterrorism, forensics, and food safety.
Tunable dielectric meta-surface nanostructures offer incredible performance in optical application due to their extraordinary tunability of the polarization and engineering the dispersion of light with low loss in infrared range. In this article, we designed and experimentally measured the tunability of all-dielectric subwavelength silicon nanoparticles with the help of the temperature-based refractive index of the liquid crystal in the telecom regime. The proposed structure composed of high dielectric nanodisk surrounded by nematic liquid crystal (NLC) is simulated with numerical software, assembled with pre-alignment material, and optically measured by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The simulated result is compatible with the practical measurements, shows that the tunability of 30nm is achieved. Electric and magnetic resonance modes of the high dielectric nanodisks are tailored in different rates by anisotropic temperature dependent NLC. The phase switching of anisotropic to isotropic nematic liquid crystal enables spectral tunning of the two modes of all dielectric metasurface and modifies the symmetry of the optical response of the metamaterial structure.
Hyperbolic Metamaterials, as a non-magnetic anisotropic artificial structure, show metal properties in one direction and dielectric behavior in orthogonal directions. The proposed hyperbolic metamaterial filter in this project is designed with the metal wire mesh perpendicular to the alternative layers of dielectric materials, keeps TM center wavelength unchanged for the different angle of incident light in MDIR regime. The geometric size of this nanostructure is smaller than the working wavelength and supports big wavevectors due to hyperbolic dispersion. In contrast with conventional Bragg stack, the copper fakir bed makes the transmission properties of the filter the same. For this purpose, the state-of-the-art fabrication methods are required to make such small dimensions in alternative layers of amorphous silicon and silicon dioxide. In this work, first we demonstrate the simulation of Bragg stack with RCWA and finite element methods. Then we focus on our first-time multistep lithography method used to fabricate the filter at Cornell University’s Nanoscale Science and Technology Center. Finally, we experimentally verify the optical characteristic of the fabricated filter using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The experimental and spectrometry data shows that transmission properties of the hyperbolic metamaterial filter remain the same for oblique TM polarized incident light.
Vanadium dioxide (VO2) as a phase-change material controls the transferred heat during phase transition process between metal and insulator states. At temperature above 68°C, the rutile structure VO2 keeps the heat out and increases the IR radiation reflectivity, while at the lower temperature the monoclinic structure VO2 acts as the transparent material and increase the transmission radiation. In this paper, we first present the metal-insulator phase transition (MIT) of the VO2 in high and low temperatures. Then we simulate the meta-surface VO2 of metamaterial reflector by Ansys HFSS to show the emittance tunability (Δε) of the rutile and monoclinic phase of the VO2. In next section, we will review the recent progress in the deposition of thermochromic VO2 on glass and silicon substrate with modifying the pressure of sputtering gases and temperature of the substrate. Finally, we present the results of the in-situ sputtered VOx thin film on thick SiO2 substrate in different combination of oxygen and argon environment by V2O5 target at temperature higher than 300°C and then, analyze it with x-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The thermochromic VO2 based metamaterial structures open a new route to the passive energy-efficient optical solar reflector in the past few years.
In this project we design and fabricate a hyperbolic metamaterials-based narrowband notch filter for the mid-wave infrared regime with an angle-of-incidence independent center-wavelength for TM polarized incident light. To achieve angle of incidence independence, a subwavelength sized array of copper wires is inserted in a vertical orientation and permeates the three middle layers of the seven layer Bragg stack filter. Analysis using Maxwell- Garnett theory and full-wave electromagnetic modeling, and the fabrication progress to date are presented. Narrowband notch filters have applications in optical communications systems, and remote sensors such as hyperspectral and multi-spectral sensing and imaging.
In this project we propose and fabricate a hyperbolic metamaterials-based narrowband notch filter for the infrared regime with a center wavelength that remains fixed as the angle of incidence changes from 0 to 30 degrees for TM polarization. This novel device modifies a conventional Bragg reflector by including a middle resonance layer that opens up a narrow, highly transmissive band. To achieve angular independence, a subwavelength sized array of silver wires are inserted in a vertical orientation and permeate all 7 Si and SiO2 layers of the structure.
In this work the theoretical underpinnings are explored using Maxwell-Garnett Theory, and simulated with 3D finite element full wave electromagnetic modeling software. Simulations demonstrate that the device is capable of up to 60% transmission at a fixed center wavelength for TM polarization in the infrared.
The device is fabricated using typical microfabrication techniques. The silver nanowires are fabricated via DC electrodeposition. The angle and polarization dependent transmission, reflection and absorption of the device are experimentally measured, and scanning electron microscopy images of the structure are shown.
Though the experimental validation of this device is performed for the infrared regime, scaling the structural sizes can extend the operating regime to higher and lower wavelengths. Whether used as a stand-alone filter, or integrated into a hyperspectral array, the angle-independent response of this filter has many uses in remote sensing applications.
In this project we develop a handheld, portable, highly selective and sensitive chem/biosensor that has potential applications in both airborne and water-based environmental sensing. The device relies on a plasmonic chip of subwavelength-scale periodic gold rods engineered to resonate in the near infrared. The chip is functionalized with a novel class of proteins that exhibit large conformational changes upon binding to a specific target analyte. The subsequent change in local refractive index near the surface of the gold is one to two orders of magnitude greater than current conventional methods, which produces a readily measurable 5 to 10 percent difference in light transmission. This allows us to forgo traditional, bulky tabletop setups in favor of a compact form factor. Using commercially available optics to construct a transmission-based optical train, measured changes in bulk refractive index are presented here. While synthesis of binding protein efforts are focused on heme as analyte for proof of concept validation, the functionalized protein can be engineered to pair with a wide variety of analytes with minimal alterations to the plasmonic chip or device design. Such flexibility allows for this device to potentially meet the needs of first responders and health care professionals in a multitude of scenarios.
For vortex fiber multiplexing to reach practical commercial viability, simple silicon photonic interfaces with vortex fiber will be required. These interfaces must support multiplexing. Toward this goal, an efficient singlefed multimode Forked Grating Coupler (FGC) for coupling two different optical vortex OAM charges to or from the TE0 and TE1 rectangular waveguide modes has been developed. A simple, apodized device implemented with e-beam lithography and a conventional dual-etch processing on SOI wafer exhibits low crosstalk and reasonable mode match. Advanced designs using this concept are expected to further improve performance.
The forked grating coupler (FGC) is a novel low-profile device compatible with silicon photonics that is capable of sensitive detection or efficient radiation of Optical Vortex (OV) light beams conveying orbital optical angular momentum (OAM). The FGC device combines the idea of a Bragg coupler with the forked hologram to create an integrated optics device that can selectively and efficiently couple selected optical vortex modes at near-normal incidence into planar confined dielectric waveguide modes of a photonic IC. FGCs retain many of the advantages of Bragg couplers, including convenience of placement and fabrication, reasonable bandwidth, small size, and CMOS process compatibility. In this work, prototype designs of FGC structures for 1550 nm wavelength have been developed for implementation on silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate. Fully vectorial three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic simulation has allowed performance to be optimized over a range of structural parameters. Results have been evaluated against optical performance metrics including overall efficiency, mode match efficiency, and crosstalk between OV modes. Candidate FGC devices have been fabricated on SOI with e-beam lithography and tested optically. Tolerance to etch depth error has been evaluated.
In this work hyperbolic metamaterials are integrated within Bragg transmission filters with the purpose of eliminating the dependence of the center wavelength of a narrow bandwidth transmission peak on the angle of incidence of the incoming TM polarized beam. The structure is composed of a multi-layer stack of dielectric materials with an array of metal wires vertically penetrating the entire structure. Two types of modeling methods are used to simulate the optical properties of the structure, a coupled wave algorithm that uses a transfer matrix method, and finite element modeling. It is shown that narrow band transmission filters can be designed such that the center wavelength of the transmission peak for TM polarized incident light does not change as the angle of incidence of an incoming beam changes. The method is applied to different hypothetical structures operating in the near infrared, mid wave infrared and long wave infrared. A structure operating at 1.5GHz is designed.
We present research results centered on development of a highly sensitive handheld chem/biosensor device using a novel class of engineered proteins, designed to undergo extreme conformational changes upon binding their target, which in turn cause extreme changes in refractive index in the protein layer. These proteins are attached to a detector chip with a structured metasurface, to translate the refractive index change into an enhanced shift in surface plasmon resonances (SPR), thereby improving the sensitivity of the overall detector relatively to current commercially available SPR systems. Theoretical calculations have demonstrated the potential of the conformational changes in the engineered proteins to provide the desired change in refractive index. A plasmonic chip with a simple grating metasurface structure was designed to maximize the SPR shift. A prototype chip and a prototype for the overall device housing were fabricated with the inclusion of all other required (commercially available) optical components. The proposed device holds considerable promise as a low-cost, highly sensitive, field-deployable detection system for chemical and biological toxins.
The behavior of the optical vortices with fractional topological charges in the far-field is assessed through numerical modeling and confirmed by experimental results. The generation of fractional topological charge variations of the phase within a Gaussian beam was achieved by using a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LCoS SLM). It is shown that a laser beam carrying an optical vortex with a fractional topological charge evolves into a beam with a topological charge of integer value, specifically an integer value closer to the fractional number in the far field. A potential application of this work is for data transmission within optical telecommunication systems.
We propose plasmonic metal-insulator-metal (MIM) metamaterial designs for the sensing of two infrared wavelength bands, the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) and long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) band by using a photon sorting technique. The proposed structures can capture light effectively on the metasurfaces based on coupling of free space energy to a subwavelength plasmonic mode. Photon sorting can be performed such that the incident light with a broad spectrum upon the metasurfaces can be "split" according to wavelength, channeling different spectral bands to different physical regions of the array on the surface where it is then absorbed by the insulator. Two different structures described in this work are (1) Square-type structure which consists of MIM resonators being periodically arranged to form a polarization independent sensor and (2) Meander-type structure which consists of MIM resonators being connected to form the meander shaped sensor. Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) posts are used as absorbing material within the MIM structure to generate free carriers and allow for collection of carrier charges. The proposed structures have compact designs and exhibit efficient light splitting and absorption for the IR spectral band. Structural and material properties, the electric field distribution and Poynting vector fields at the resonance frequencies are provided. Applications include thermal imaging, night vision systems, rifle sights, missile detection and discrimination, dual bandwidth optical filters, light trapping, and electromagnetically induced transparency.
A method to generate an optical metasurface is developed. In our experimental setup, we use a pump-probe technique,
where the pump beam is used to project patterns of v-shaped antennas on the surface of a silicon substrate. In the areas
illuminated with the images of v-shaped antennas electron-hole pairs are created. Therefore, the antenna structures on
silicon will have metallic-like properties, we classify this structure as a metasurface. The THz beam probes refraction
and reflection on the metasurface generated on the silicon substrate. The dynamic change of these patterns of
metasurface causes the beam steering effects of THz radiation.
An innovative method of examining properties of metasurfaces is presented. A pump-probe technique is used to create a metasurface composed of conductive shapes on a silicon surface. A wave-front of intense pulse of 82 fs from Ti:Sa laser with wavelength of 800 nm is shaped by a spatial light modulator and then focused into a preprogrammed array of vshaped features on a high purity float zone silicon substrate. The laser pulse generates electron-hole pairs on the silicon substrate, thus a metasurface consisting of an array of metal-like v-shaped antennas is inscribed on the silicon substrate. The lifetime of v-shaped antennas is in millisecond time range. In the meantime, the second, less intense pulse, also of wavelength 800 nm is converted to a pulse of terahertz radiation with a peak-power at wavelength approximately 800 μm and used to probe the metasurface inscribed in the silicon. Tracing the position of the refracted terahertz beam is achieved with a specially designed INO video camera for terahertz radiation.
Polarimetric sensing has been shown to have numerous applications in imaging such as enhancing the contrast of an image and the shape of the source object. There is increasing interest in developing a sensor that is able to measure all the Stokes parameters of an incident beam without a reduction in image resolution. We propose a cavity array metasurface polarization sensor capable of determining the complete elliptical polarization state of an incident beam allowing for the Stokes parameters to be calculated within a single pixel. The metasurface consists of a metal lm with periodically patterned cavities lled with an absorbing dielectric. Each unit cell of the periodic array contains three di erent cavities with each cavity interacting in a di erent manner with the incoming beam, absorbing the radiation. The absorption in each of the three cavities depends on the incident polarization state and phase of the incident beam. An isolated measurement of the absorption in each cavity within the unit cell is possible with separate collection of photogenerated carriers. This will enable the elliptical polarization state of an incident beam to be measured. In this work, we describe the elements of the metasurface sensor and numerically characterize its optical response to elliptically polarized light.
Two-dimensional compound gratings (2dCGs) are capable of π-radian difference phase resonances (PRs). Circulation and concentration of s- and p-polarized light incident on 2dCG metal structures are studied. In prior work, it has been shown that PRs can occur for s- and p-polarized light in one-dimensional compound gratings (ldCGs). In contrast, the structure studied in this work has two asymmetric holes in the unit cell, each filled with a material of high dielectric permittivity (Epsilon=l0.84) and can support PRs in 2dCGs in the spectral range from 8 to 12 GHz. Due to asymmetry within the system, the two apertures react differently to the incident light and support polarization dependent PRs that are resonantly excited within the apertures. It is shown that PRs occur in 2dCGs with similar characteristics of ldCGs, such as having narrow bandwidths, high Q values, and high concentrations of electromagnetic fields. However, PRs occurring on 2dCGs have a benefit of manipulating in more numerous ways as compared with ldCGs. As the incident light excites waveguide cavity modes, the fields in the corresponding neighboring cavities in 2dCGs are coupled by circulations of counter-propagating modes and the π-radian phase differences produce a concentration and narrowband inversion of the transmissivity/opacity. The dependencies of bandwidth and wavelength of the PRs on structural and material properties, polarization of the incident beam, as well as the Poynting vector fields are described. Applications include narrow bandwidth optical filters, light trapping, antireflection coatings, waveguiding structures, and electromagnetically induced transparency.
Optical metasurfaces demonstrate outstanding capabilities of optical parameters modifications by changes in the structural architecture at the nano-scale level. We demonstrate results of electrophoretic experiments that modify the structure of a metasurface by using diamond nanoparticles with sizes much smaller than the wavelength of light; the nanoparticles are suspended in an aqueous solution and a uniform electric field is applied. The electric field controls the concentration of nanoparticles inside the sub-wavelength apertures and on the top plane of the metasurface. The higher concentration of diamond nanoparticles increases the refractive index of the suspension as well as increasing scattering and absorption. Results of optical material parameter characterization for a wavelength of 512 nm are provided for different concentrations of the diamond nanoparticles dispersions.
Photolithography for patterns with periodicity in the illumination plane (2.5-D lithography) has seen rapid advances over the past decade, with the introduction of holographic lithography and the further development of phase-contrast and grayscale photolithography methods. However, each of these techniques suffers from substantial difficulties preventing further integration into device fabrication: a lack of parallel processing capabilities and dimension limitations. Here, we present a demonstration of controlled layer topography through modulation of both the exposure dose and exposure focal plane yielding reproducible 2.5-D patterns which are applied to the further development of plasmonic gratings. This process is entirely compatible with commercially available i -line photolithography and etch hardware, enabling a path to ready integration.
We present a novel theoretical approximation for predicting the enhanced optical transmission properties through a periodic array of subwavelength square apertures in perforated metal films. We show that a Fabry-Perot resonance occurs in an effective resonant cavity whose dimensions are determined by the apertures' geometry and the decay lengths of the associated evanescent diffracted modes. This model demonstrates strong agreement to simulated results, and can be used to rapidly and efficiently design aperture arrays with specific transmission properties.
Anomalous transmission through sub-wavelength aperture metamaterials, frequency selective surfaces and sub-wavelength sized aperture arrays has been a topic immense interest in the present decade. The ability to manipulate electromagnetic energy as it propagates through a metamaterial has ushered in a an age of sub-wavelength optical devices. Optical devised are prone to diffraction and back scattering. Diffraction effects inhibit the transmission performance of metamaterial sub-wavelength films. Depending on the application, back scattered light could be beneficial or undesirable. A method to reduce back scattered light is explored in this paper. This method involved placing sub-wavelength square apertures within a film to suppress the diffraction. Coupling of the fields between the apertures was observed in one of the studied structures. There is a spatial relationship between the distance separating the apertures and the coupling of the light. To characterize the coupling behavior and thereby reduce the far-field back scattering of light, more apertures were placed in various positions within the unit cell. This enabled reduction of the back scattering thereby, enhancing the forward transmission of light. It was found that populating the unit cell with more apertures resulted in a higher transmission. Increasing the spacing between the apertures resulted in couple cavity effects between the apertures. This effect is due to the fact that the apertures have a wider bandwidth hence broader transmission channels which aid light transmission rather than light scattering or reflection.
We present an analytical study of resonance properties of square subwavelength apertures at optical and near-IR
frequencies. This approach allows accurate prediction of resonance responses, captures both propagating and
evanescent modes, and can easily be implemented in other analytical techniques. In this approach we avoid
analyzing the detailed behavior of the fields inside the metal walls, but still obtain the effects of the buildup of
charges within those walls. We calculate the dispersion relation and find the cutoff frequency's dependence on
cavity dimensions for a square aperture embedded in a silver film, and support our findings with finite-element
simulations.
In this work we describe how to model the efficiency of solar cells with novel metamaterial coatings optimized
for light harvesting. Full device modeling is implemented using optical and electrical simulations. As a proof
of concept, we simulate the operation of a metamaterial contact on a first generation monocrystalline silicon
solar cell. We compare device characteristics and efficiencies to standard antireflective coatings applied to a grid
contact cell. The effects of the metamaterial contact on silicon solar cell efficiencies is discussed for PN junction
and metal-insulator-semiconductor cell structures. It is found that the metal-insulator-semiconductor solar cell
designed performs better than the PN junction cell.
Silicon is the primary material used for the fabrication of solar cells and it is responsible for about 40% of
the cost. Metamaterials show promise in enhancing the performance of silicon solar cells thus, improving the
efficiency. Here we report on the fabrication of a broadband, antireflective, conductive metamaterial capable
of channeling light into a solar cell. As a precursor to making the metamaterial, standard p-n junctions were
fabricated. Conventional phosphorus oxychloride (POCl3) furnace diffusion was used to create the p-n junction.
When the p-n junction was forward biased, the measured current exhibited a diode characteristic. The measured
photocurrent response yielded an open circuit voltage for the p-n junction at 0.48 VDC. The metamaterial
film was fabricated, placed atop the p-n junction and characterized. Initial tests showed that the metamaterial
antireflective properties were on par with those of standard industrial single-layer silicon nitride coatings. Further
testing is being performed to assess the full optical and electrical performance of the metamaterial film.
Fabricating optoelectronic devices can be extremely costly due to the need for using high end fabrication methods
such as photo lithography. Therefore, the importance of being able to accurately and rapidly prototype an
optoelectronic device cannot be overstated. By using commercially available full wave 3D simulation software
(FW3D), rapid prototyping can be achieved. A complete rapid prototyping process would require a discussion on
simulation as well as fabrication work, however for this paper we will only focus on the simulation aspect which is
rapid optimization. The bulk of our work will be to model and rapidly optimize an optoelectronic device which is
currently of interest to many optoelectronic researchers. This structure is labeled as a frequency selective surface.
By using two widely known numerical methods, we will demonstrate the modeling and simulation aspects needed
for achieving rapid optimization and fully characterizing the optoelectronic performance of this device.
We have developed a method to design multi-junction horizontally-oriented solar cells using single-layer photonic
metamaterials. These metamaterial light harvesting templates are capable of separating white light into discrete
wavelength ranges and trapping it efficiently into different, separately wired cavities. Any number of different
wavelength-tailored charge separation complexes can be fixed to the walls of these tuned cavities. To design the
metamaterials we have developed a coupled wave analysis of 2D periodic metamaterials. Past results with 1D
gratings have shown that this is a very effective method for designing periodic structures and we have generalized
the approach to 2D periodic cavities.
Numerical, theoretical and experimental results on the use of combinations of surface plasmons, waveguide and diffraction modes to control the flow of light in transmission gratings, are described. Methods of designing compound gratings that have multiple, differently composed grooves within each period and that selectively transmit, at anomalously large amounts, s-polarized or p-polarized light, are described. It is shown how the ability to separate the polarization components and have them transmitted into different portions of the substrate can be used to design polarimetric sensors. Related phenomena of light circulation and weaving due to the excitation of phase resonances are described.
The fragile nature of alumina and the intrinsic Al2O3 barrier layer at the pore bases has hindered its use in optoelectronic
devices. In this work, these issues have been addressed by the development of a nanoporous alumina template directly on
a silicon substrate with platinum electrodes at the pore bases. This template was then used to perform dc galvanostatic
electrochemical deposition of II-VI semiconductor heterostructure nanowires that were then used to fabricate pixilated
detector arrays.
A nanoporous alumina template made from a multilayer metal film structure has been developed that allows for the in situ removal of the electrically insulating alumina barrier layer, exposing a Pt electrode at the pore bases. This barrier free nanoporous system has great potential for DC electrodeposition of a wide variety of materials in the alumina pores. The nanoporous template is fabricated in a more practical way than existing techniques and can be used for the fabrication of nanowires of many materials. Because the template is fabricated directly on the final substrate, no film transfer technique is needed and the substrate can include electrical circuitry. A silicon substrate may be used that provides mechanical stability, facilitates processing, and allows integration with IC components. This will allow for cheap and high efficiency infrared detectors to be fabricated in a practical and cost effective way. The quantum wire devices fabricated in this way can be customized to be used as infrared sensors at a variety of infrared wavelengths.
In this paper, we report a theoretical study on the various electromagnetic resonance effects (Horizontal surface plasmons, Cavity modes, 'hybrid' modes) in Metal-Semiconductor-Metal (MSM) Photodetector (PD). Field profiles are calculated using the surface impedance boundary condition technique, which is extended in this paper to model complex transmission gratings. A detailed study on the dependence of these different resonance modes on the structural geometry and material composition is described. Design rules to tailor the properties of the various resonance modes by appropriately varying the structural geometry and material composition for possible use in various applications are discussed. Potential structures of Si and HgCdTe MSM-PD are discussed for use in high-speed operation.
The recent encouraging results on compliant substrates have made them a promising technology for innovative optoelectronic devices and circuits involving lattice mismatched semiconductors. Different from traditional bulk semiconductor substrates, compliant substrates are flexible templates that can accommodate the lattice strain produced during heteroepitaxial growth. This article discusses one special class of compliant substrates, namely twist-bonded compliant substrates. A twist-bonded compliant substrate contains a 30-100A thin layer bonded to a bulk crystal with a high-angle twist boundary at the interface. Experiment has shown that the twist-bonded thin layer functions as a compliant template to absorb the mismatch strain through elastic and plastic deformation. We have fabricated twist-bonded GaAs and Si compliant substrates and grown InGaAs (1.5% mismatch) and InSb (14.7% mismatch) layers on GaAs compliant substrates and Ge layers (4% mismatch) on Si compliant substrates. Cross sectional TEM results have shown a significant reduction in threading dislocation density for all these films. The crosshatch free InGaAs surface indicates that substrate compliance indeed provides a new strain release mechanism than forming dislocation half loops in the heteroepitaxial layers. The photoluminescence data from InGaAs multiquantum- wells also confirm the superior quality of heteroepitaxial layers grown on compliant substrates. Future research is directed to enhancement of our understanding of substrate compliance mechanisms, improvement of processing technology, and demonstration of critical photonic devices on compliant substrates.
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.