Sb2Te3 topological insulator: surface plasmon resonance and application in refractive index monitoring

Guided wave resonance-based digital holographic microscopy for high-sensitivity monitoring of the refractive index

Surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy (SPRHM) has been employed to measure the refractive index but whose performance is generally limited by the metallic intrinsic loss. Herein we first, to our knowledge, utilize guided wave resonance (GWR) with low loss to realize the monitoring of the refractive index by integrating with digital holographic microscopy (DHM). By depositing a dielectric layer on a silver film, we observe a typical GWR in the dielectric layer with stronger field enhancement and higher sensitivity to the surrounding refractive index compared to the silver film-supported SPR, which agrees well with calculations. The innovative combination of the GWR and DHM contributes to the highly sensitive dynamic monitoring of the surrounding refractive index variation. Through the measurement with DHM, we found that the GWR presents an excellent sensitivity, which is 2.6 times higher than that of the SPR on the silver film. The results will pave a new pathway for digital holographic interferometry and its applications in environmental and biological detections.

Highly sensitive plasmonic sensing based on a topological insulator nanoparticle

Topological insulators (TIs) are a new type of Dirac material that possess unique electrical and optical properties, enabling the generation of surface plasmons over an extensive spectral range with promising applications in functional devices. Herein, we fabricated antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) TI nanoparticles by using magnetron sputtering and focused ion beam (FIB) lithography techniques, and experimentally demonstrated high-performance refractive index nanosensing. We find that the Sb2Te3 TI nanoparticles can support the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which depends on the dimensions of the TI nanoparticle. TI-based LSPR can contribute to the nanoscale sensing of the surrounding refractive index with a high sensitivity of 443 nm RIU-1, which is comparable to that of plasmonic sensors based on metallic nanoparticles. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical simulations. This work will pave a new way to explore TI optical properties and applications in nanophotonic devices, especially plasmonic nanosensors.

Broadband Optical Properties of Bi2Se3

Materials with high optical constants are of paramount importance for efficient light manipulation in nanophotonics applications. Recent advances in materials science have revealed that van der Waals (vdW) materials have large optical responses owing to strong in-plane covalent bonding and weak out-of-plane vdW interactions. However, the optical constants of vdW materials depend on numerous factors, e.g., synthesis and transfer method. Here, we demonstrate that in a broad spectral range (290-3300 nm) the refractive index n and the extinction coefficient k of Bi₂Se₃ are almost independent of synthesis technology, with only a ~10% difference in n and k between synthesis approaches, unlike other vdW materials, such as MoS₂, which has a ~60% difference between synthesis approaches. As a practical demonstration, we showed, using the examples of biosensors and therapeutic nanoparticles, that this slight difference in optical constants results in reproducible efficiency in Bi₂Se₃-based photonic devices.

Broadband coherent perfect absorption employing an inverse-designed metasurface via genetic algorithm

Coherent perfect absorption (CPA) possesses the unique characteristics of flexibly and actively molding the flow of light. However, restricted by the low design efficiency and limited geometry variety of metamaterial structures, the common CPA metamaterial absorbers based on artificial design show poor performance in bandwidth operation. Here, we proposed a tungsten-based metamaterial absorber to achieve broadband CPA via employing genetic algorithm inverse design. Under the irradiation of two coherent beams, the high coherent absorption (>90%) can be achieved within a wide range from 1.32 to 3.28 µm. By simply adjusting the relative intensity or phase difference of the two coherent beams, the absorption intensity can be continuously modulated to realize the transition between coherent perfect absorption and coherent perfect transparency. Moreover, the coherent absorption maintains greater than 90% over a broad range of incident angles for both TM and TE polarizations. The scattering matrix theorem is applied to explain the physical mechanism of CPA, and the analytical results exhibit good consistency with the numerical calculations. Such a tungsten-based CPA metamaterial absorber with broadband tunability and exceptional angular stability is expected to be utilized in optical signal processing chips, all-optical modulators, and optical switchers.

Dual-wavelength surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy for simultaneous measurements of cell-substrate distance and cytoplasm refractive index

Studying the basic characteristics of living cells is of great significance in biological research. Bio-physical parameters, including cell-substrate distance and cytoplasm refractive index (RI), can be used to reveal cellular properties. In this Letter, we propose a dual-wavelength surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy (SPRHM) to simultaneously measure the cell-substrate distance and cytoplasm RI of live cells in a wide-field and non-intrusive manner. Phase-contrast surface plasmon resonance (SPR) images of individual cells at wavelengths of 632.8 nm and 690 nm are obtained using an optical system. The two-dimensional distributions of cell-substrate distance and cytoplasm RI are then demodulated from the phase-contrast SPR images of the cells. MDA-MB-231 cells and IDG-SW3 cells are experimentally measured to verify the feasibility of this approach. Our method provides a useful tool in biological fields for dual-parameter detection and characterization of live cells.

Dual-mode independent detection of pressure and refractive index by miniature grating-coupled surface plasmon sensor

Multiple parameters need to be monitored to analyze the kinetics of biological progresses. Surface plasmon polariton resonance sensors offer a non-invasive approach to continuously detect the local change of refractive index of molecules with high sensitivity. However, the fabrication of miniaturized, compact, and low-cost sensors is still challenging. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a grating-coupled SPR sensor platform featuring dual mode operation for simultaneous sensing of pressure and refractive index, which can be fabricated using a highly-efficient low-cost method, allowing large-scale production. Both sensing functionalities are realized by optical means via monitoring the spectral positions of a surface plasmon polariton mode (for refractive index sensing) and Fabry-Perot or metal-insulator-metal modes (for pressure sensing), which are supported by the structure. Simultaneous measurement of refractive index with the sensitivity of 494 nm/RIU and pressure was demonstrated experimentally. The proposed platform is promising for biomonitoring that requires both high refractive index sensitivity and local pressure detection.

Real-time and wide-field mapping of cell-substrate adhesion gap and its evolution via surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy

As one of the most common biological phenomena, cell adhesion plays a vital role in the cellular activities such as the growth and apoptosis, attracting tremendous research interests over the past decades. Taking the cell evolution under drug injection as an example, the dynamics of cell-substrate adhesion gap can provide valuable information in the fundamental research of cell contacts. A robust technique of monitoring the cell adhesion gap and its evolution in real time is highly desired. Herein, we develop a surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy to achieve the novel functionality of real-time and wide-field mapping of the cell-substrate adhesion gap and its evolution in situ. The cell adhesion gap images of mouse osteoblast cells and human breast cancer cells have been effectively extracted in a dynamic and label-free manner. The proposed technique opens up a new avenue of revealing the cell-substrate interaction mechanism and renders the wide applications in the biosensing area.

Graphene-tuned EIT-like effect in photonic multilayers for actively controlled light absorption of topological insulators

As newly emerging nanomaterials, topological insulators with unique conducting surface states that are protected by time-reversal symmetry present excellent prospects in electronics and photonics. The active control of light absorption in topological insulators are essential for the achievement of novel optoelectronic devices. Herein, we investigate the controllable light absorption of topological insulators in Tamm plasmon multilayer systems composed of a Bi_1.5Sb_0.5Te_1.8Se_1.2 (BSTS) film and a dielectric Bragg mirror with a graphene-involved defect layer. The results show that an ultranarrow electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like window can be generated in the broad absorption spectrum. Based on the EIT-like effect, the Tamm plasmon enhanced light absorption of topological insulators can be dynamically tuned by adjusting the gate voltage on graphene in the defect layer. These results will pave a new avenue for the realization of topological insulator-based active optoelectronic functionalities, for instance light modulation and switching.

Niobium disulfide as a new saturable absorber for an ultrafast fiber laser

Group VB transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are emerging two-dimensional materials and have attracted significant interests in the fields of physics, chemistry, and material sciences. However, there are very few reports about the optical characteristics and ultrafast photonic applications based on group VB TMDCs so far. In this work, we have calculated the niobium disulfide (NbS2) band structure by the density functional theory (DFT), which has revealed that NbS2 is a metallic TMDC. In addition, we have prepared an NbS2-microfiber device and the nonlinear optical characteristics have been investigated. The modulation depth, saturation intensity and non-saturable loss have been measured to be 13.7%, 59.93 MW cm-2 and 17.74%, respectively. Based on the nonlinear optical modulation effect, the Er-doped fiber (EDF) laser works in the soliton mode-locking state with the pump power of 94-413 mW. The pulse duration of 709 fs and the maximum average output power of 23.34 mW have been obtained at the pump power of 413 mW. The slope efficiency is as high as 6.79%. Compared to the recently reported studies based on TMDCs comprehensively, our experimental results are better. These experimental results demonstrate that NbS2 with excellent nonlinear optical properties can be used as a promising candidate to advance the development of ultrafast photonics.

Enhanced second harmonic emission with simultaneous polarization state tuning by aluminum metal-insulator-metal cross nanostructures

Aluminum (Al) plasmonic nanostructures have recently demonstrated remarkable optical nonlinear phenomena, such as enhanced second harmonic (SH) generation. However, the relatively weak field enhancement resulted from large optical losses associated with aluminum nanostructures in combination with the difficulties in controlling the emission polarization pose as a challenge for SH enhancement and tuning. In this paper, we show that the SH emission of aluminum nanostructures can be efficiently enhanced with the polarization properties simultaneously tunable by using metal-insulator-metal (MIM) nanostructures, constituting of Al cross nanoantenna arrays on top of Al mirrors with a SiO₂ spacing layer. Specifically, femtosecond laser beam with a linear polarization parallel to one arm illuminates on the structure while the orthogonal arms were physically modified by the laser-induced photothermal reshaping technique to control the SH radiation by the plasmonic resonances. Under the resonance at the SH wavelength, we observed one order of magnitude larger emission enhancement compared to that at the off-resonant condition. Interestingly, the polarization states can be well manipulated simultaneously by controlling the resonances of the orthogonal arms. The enhanced SH conversion and tunable polarization states pave the way for the development of nonlinear optical sources and advanced functional metasurfaces.

Linear Dichroism and Nondestructive Crystalline Identification of Anisotropic Semimetal Few-Layer MoTe2

Semimetal 1T' MoTe₂ crystals have attracted tremendous attention owing to their anisotropic optical properties, Weyl semimetal, phase transition, and so on. However, the complex refractive indices (n-ik) of the anisotropic semimetal 1T' MoTe₂ still are not revealed yet, which is important to applications such as polarized wide spectrum detectors, polarized surface plasmonics, and nonlinear optics. Here, the linear dichroism of as-grown trilayer 1T' MoTe₂ single crystals is investigated. Trilayer 1T' MoTe₂ shows obvious anisotropic optical absorption due to the intraband transition of d_z ² orbits for Mo atoms and p_x orbits for Te atoms. The anisotropic complex refractive indices of few-layer 1T' MoTe₂ are experimentally obtained for the first time by using the Pinier equation analysis. Based on the linear dichroism of 1T' MoTe₂ , angle-resolved polarized optical microscopy is developed to visualize the grain boundary and identify the crystal orientation of 1T' MoTe₂ crystals, which is also an excellent tool toward the investigation of the optical absorption properties in the visible range for anisotropic 2D transition metal chalcogenides. This work provides a universal and nondestructive method to identify the crystal orientation of anisotropic 2D materials, which opens up an opportunity to investigate the optical application of anisotropic semimetal 2D materials.

Tunable surface plasmon polaritons in a Weyl semimetal waveguide

Weyl semimetals have recently attracted extensive attention due to their anomalous band structure manifested by topological properties that lead to some unusual and unique physical properties. We investigate novel features of surface plasmon polaritons in a slot waveguide comprised from two semi-infinite Weyl semimetals. We consider symmetric Voigt-Voigt and Faraday-Faraday configurations for plasmon polaritons in two interfaces of waveguide and show that the resulting dispersion is symmetric and the propagation of surface plasmon polaritons is bidirectional. We introduce exotic and novel asymmetric structures making use of difference in magnitude or orientation of chiral anomalies in two Weyl semimetals in both Voigt and Faraday configurations. These structures show a tremendous nonreciprocal dispersion and unidirectional propagation of surface plasmon polaritons. Moreover, we study a hybrid configuration of Voigt-Faraday for surface plasmon polartions in two interfaces of the waveguide. We find that this structure possesses unique futures. It shows surface plasmon polariton modes with unidirectional propagation above the bulk plasmon frequency. Furthermore, we find a surface plasmon polariton band which admits the Voigt and Faraday features simultaneously. Also, we show that the waveguide thickness and the chemical potential of the Weyl semimetals can be used as a fine-tuning parameters in these structures. Our findings may be employed in optical devices which exploit the unidirectional surface plasmon propagation features.

The spatial plasmonic Bloch oscillations in nanoscale three-dimensional surface plasmon polaritons metal waveguide arrays

In this paper, the dynamic motion of surface plasmon polaritons, spatial Bloch oscillations, in a kind of nanoscale three-dimensional surface plasmon polaritons metal waveguide arrays is presented. The waveguide arrays are composed of 41 three-dimensional plasmonic waveguides with ultra-small cross section, thus the maximum lateral size of the waveguide arrays is only 6.56µm. The gradient of surface plasmon ploartions propagation constants across the waveguide arrays is realized by gradually changing the refractive index of the dielectric layer in the waveguide arrays. Theoretical results from the coupled wave theory show that surface plasmon polaritons propagate in the three-dimensional metal waveguide arrays as breathing and transverse oscillatory mode Bloch oscillations under the conditions of single and multiple waveguide excitations, respectively. All theoretical results are confirmed by finite-difference time-domain numerical simulations. Through the numerical analysis of fabrication tolerance caused by the metal strips uniform shifts, the designed three-dimensional surface plasmon polaritons metal waveguide arrays can resist certain fabrication errors.

Chiral response of a metasurface composed of nanoholes and tilted nanorods

Circular dichroism (CD) of metasurfaces has been used in biological monitoring, analytical chemistry, and perfect polarization converters. In this work, a metasurface consisting of nanoholes and tilted nanorods is proposed to achieve the CD effect. Numerical calculations show that electrical current forms between the film and the tilted nanorods under circularly polarized light illumination, and CD effects originate from the coupling between the current oscillations at the film and those on the tilted nanorods. This electrical oscillation mode provides unique coupling mechanisms for the CD effect. In addition, CD is strongly dependent on the structural parameters, and the resonant modes can be tuned by modulating the currents on the film. These results are helpful for designing novel chiral optical structures and provide unique methods for circular polarizers.

Strong longitudinal coupling of Tamm plasmon polaritons in graphene/DBR/Ag hybrid structure

In this paper, strong longitudinal coupling of the Tamm plasmon polaritons (TPPs) is investigated in a graphene/DBR/Ag slab hybrid system. It is found that TPPs can be excited at both the top graphene and the bottom silver slab interface, which can strongly interact with each other in this coupled structure. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that the vertical Tamm plasmon coupling can be either tuned by adjusting the geometric parameters or actively controlled by the Fermi energy in graphene sheet as well as the incident angle of light, allowing for strong light-matter interaction with a tunable dual-band perfect absorption. Moreover, the coupling strength of the hybrid modes exhibits a large tuning range, from a large Rabi splitting to an extremely narrow induced transparency in this coupled regime. Coupled mode theory has been employed to explain the strong coupling phenomenon. The controllable TPP coupling with an ultrahigh dual-band absorption capability offered by this simple layered structure opens new avenues for developing a broad range of graphene-based active optoelectronic and polaritonic devices.

Complex refractive index measurement for atomic-layer materials via surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy

The optical characterization of atomic-layer materials is significant for the clarification of fundamental physical properties of newly emerging nanomaterials. Here we propose to utilize the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) holographic microscopy to measure the complex refractive index (RI) of atomic-layer materials (i.e., graphene). We unambiguously determine the complex RI of single-layer graphene and few-layer graphene by fitting the measured reflection phase shift difference with theoretical values under the five-layer SPR model. The measurement results of the graphene layer grown by chemical vapor deposition at the visible range agree with the previous reports. Our method offers a cost-effective and robust avenue to characterize the complex RI of atomic-layer materials with distinct optical absorption, particularly the two-dimensional materials.

High-performance optical sensing based on electromagnetically induced transparency-like effect in Tamm plasmon multilayer structures

We present a novel kind of optical sensor based on the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like effect in a Tamm plasmon multilayer structure, which consists of a metal film on a dielectric Bragg grating with alternatively stacked TiO₂ and SiO₂ layers and a defect layer. The defect layer can induce a refractive-index-sensitive ultranarrow peak in the broad Tamm plasmon reflection dip. This nonintuitive phenomenon in analogy to the EIT effect in atomic systems originates from the coupling and destructive interference between the defect and Tamm plasmon modes in the multilayer structure. Taking advantage of this EIT-like effect, we achieve an ultrahigh sensing performance with a sensitivity of 416 nm/RIU and a figure of merit (FOM) of 682  RIU^-1. The numerical simulations agree well with the theoretical calculations. Additionally, the spectral line shape can be effectively tailored by changing the defect layer thickness, significantly promoting the dimensionless FOM from 0.76×10⁴ to more than 2.4×10⁴. Our findings will facilitate the achievement of ultrasensitive optical sensors in multilayer structures and open up perspectives for practical applications, especially in gas, biochemical, and optofluidic sensing.