Stepwise Luneburg Lens for Bloch Surface Waves

Structural Luneburg lens for broadband cloaking and wave guiding

In this paper, we explore the concept of structural Luneburg lens (SLL) as a design framework for performing dynamic structural tailoring to obtain a structural wave cloak and a structural waveguide. The SLL is a graded refractive index lens, which is realized by using a variable thickness structure defined in a thin plate. Due to the thickness variation of the plate, the refractive index decreases radially from the centre to the outer surface of the lens. By taking advantage of the unique capabilities of SLL for flexural wave focusing and collimation, we develop a structural wave cloak and waveguide based on SLLs. The SLL design enables the integration of functional devices into thin-walled structures while preserving the structural characteristics. Analytical, numerical, and experimental studies are carried out to characterize the performance of the SLL cloak and the SLL waveguide. The results demonstrate that these SLL devices exhibit excellent performance for structural wave cloaking and waveguiding over a broadband operating frequency range.

Inverse photonic design of functional elements that focus Bloch surface waves

Bloch surface waves (BSWs) are sustained at the interface of a suitably designed one-dimensional (1D) dielectric photonic crystal and an ambient material. The elements that control the propagation of BSWs are defined by a spatially structured device layer on top of the 1D photonic crystal that locally changes the effective index of the BSW. An example of such an element is a focusing device that squeezes an incident BSW into a tiny space. However, the ability to focus BSWs is limited since the index contrast achievable with the device layer is usually only on the order of Δn≈0.1 for practical reasons. Conventional elements, e.g., discs or triangles, which rely on a photonic nanojet to focus BSWs, operate insufficiently at such a low index contrast. To solve this problem, we utilize an inverse photonic design strategy to attain functional elements that focus BSWs efficiently into spatial domains slightly smaller than half the wavelength. Selected examples of such functional elements are fabricated. Their ability to focus BSWs is experimentally verified by measuring the field distributions with a scanning near-field optical microscope. Our focusing elements are promising ingredients for a future generation of integrated photonic devices that rely on BSWs, e.g., to carry information, or lab-on-chip devices for specific sensing applications.

Two-Dimensional Photonic Devices based on Bloch Surface Waves with One-Dimensional Grooves

Both experiments and simulations show that the polarization state and propagation path of the Bloch surface waves sustained on a dielectric multilayer, can be manipulated with the grooves inscribed on this multilayer. These grooves can be easily producible, accessible and controllable. Various nano-devices for the Bloch surface waves, such as the launcher, beam splitter, reflector, polarization rotator, and even the photonic single-pole double-throw switch, were all experimentally realized with the properly designed grooves, which are consistent with the numerical simulations. The proposed devices will be basic elements for the two-dimensional photonic system, and will find numerous applications, including integrated photonics, molecular sensing, imaging and micro-manipulation.