Dual-Band Light Absorption Enhancement in Hyperbolic Rectangular Array

Wide-Angle Absorption Based on Angle-Insensitive Light Slowing Effect in Photonic Crystal Containing Hyperbolic Metamaterials

Light-slowing effect at band edges in photonic crystals (PCs) is widely utilized to enhance optical absorption. However, according to the Bragg scattering theory, photonic bandgaps (PBGs) in traditional all-dielectric one-dimensional (1-D) PCs shift towards shorter wavelengths as the incident angle increases. Therefore, light-slowing effect in traditional all-dielectric 1-D PCs is also angle-sensitive. Such angle-sensitive property of light-slowing effect in traditional all-dielectric 1-D PCs poses a great challenge to achieve wide-angle absorption. In this paper, we design an angle-insensitive PBG in a 1-D PC containing hyperbolic metamaterials based on the phase-variation compensation theory. Assisted by the angle-insensitive light-slowing effect at the angle-insensitive band edge, we achieve wide-angle absorption at near-infrared wavelengths. The absorptance keeps higher than 0.9 in a wide angle range from 0 to 45.5 degrees. Besides, the wide-angle absorption is robust when the phase-variation compensation condition is slightly broken. Our work not only provides a viable route to realize angle-insensitive light slowing and wide-angle light absorption, but also promotes the development of light-slowing- and absorption-based optical/optoelectronic devices.

Ultrabroadband and ultrathin absorber based on an encapsulated T-shaped metasurface

Ultrabroadband absorbers are vital for applications such as solar energy harvesting and integrated optoelectronic devices. Herein, we design, fabricate and characterize a novel ultrabroadband and ultrathin absorber based on the encapsulated T-shaped metasurface (ETM). The ETM consists of a 20 nm Cr film and a Cr substrate sandwiched by the T-shaped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) arrays. The Cr film provides a robust absorptive surface with improved impedance matching, and ultrabroadband absorption can be achieved via the excitation of the localized surface plasmon (LSP) of this ultrathin film. The average absorption of simulated and experimental results of the ETM in the visible range of 400-800 nm for the TM (TE) polarization are 96.4% (96.3%) and 90.6% (89.4%), respectively. Three-dimensional (3D) power dissipation density distributions of the proposed structure have been investigated, which indicates that the synergistic absorption effect of different parts of the T-shaped ultrathin Cr film contributes to the major absorption enhancement. The absorption of the ETM is very robust to the changes of geometrical parameters and the symmetry of the structure, and it can be maintained almost the same even if T-shaped profiles are changed to L-shaped profiles. Moreover, the absorption performance of the ETM exhibits polarization-insensitive and wide-angle features, which has advantages for many potential applications.

Effective optical nihility media realized by one-dimensional photonic crystals containing hyperbolic metamaterials

Owing to the omnidirectional perfect transmission and omnidirectional zero phase accumulation properties, S-type optical nihility media (ONM) have been utilized to design hyperlenses, optical waveguides, field concentrators and field rotators. Under the multiple interference mechanism, for conventional all-dielectric one-dimensional photonic crystals (1DPCs), all the transmittance peaks within the passband will shift towards short wavelengths (blueshift) with the increase in incident angle. Therefore, effective ONM cannot be realized in all-dielectric 1DPCs because the perfect transmission and zero phase accumulation conditions at the wavelength of the transmittance peak can only be satisfied at a specific incident angle. However, in a 1DPC composed of alternating dielectric and hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM) layers, one can realize a stopband of which one band edge is redshifted. At the same time, a transmittance peak in the passband is blueshifted. Therefore, between the redshift band edge and the blueshift transmittance peak, one can obtain an angle-independent transmittance peak. The HMM layer is mimicked by a dielectric/doped semiconductor multilayer. At the wavelength of the angle-independent transmittance peak, perfect transmission and zero phase accumulation conditions can be satisfied at any incident angle. Our work provides a route, under the current experimental conditions, to realize an effective S-type ONM by a simple one-dimensional structure in the near-infrared range.

Cascaded Nanorod Arrays for Ultrabroadband, Omnidirectional and Polarization-Insensitive Absorption

An ultrabroadband, omnidirectional, and polarization-insensitive absorber based on cascaded nanorod arrays (CNAs) is numerically demonstrated, and an average absorptivity of 98.2% with a relative absorption bandwidth (RAB) of 149.8% can be achieved in the 0.38–2.65 μm wavelength range. The proposed CNA-based absorber requires only several pairs of multilayers to achieve excellent absorption performance. More significantly, the physical mechanism for this intriguing ultrabroadband absorption results from the synergistic effect of localized surface plasmon (LSP) and plasmonic resonant cavity (PRC) modes, which is fundamentally different from the tapered metal/dielectric multilayer-based absorbers associated with the slow-light mode. We investigated the absorption properties of the CNA-based metasurface by using the impedance theory, which indicates that the impedance of the structure matches well with the impedance of the free space from the visible to near-infrared wavelength range. In addition, the absorption properties of the CNA-based metasurface are robust to the variation of the structural parameters and the metal/dielectric materials, and ultrabroadband absorption performance can be maintained within 0–60° for both TM and TE modes.

Symmetry-broken square silicon patches for ultra-narrowband light absorption

The effect of ultra-narrowband light absorption enhancement is presented by using metamaterials with symmetry-broken square silicon patches (SSPs). The symmetry of the SSP can be broken by introducing a narrow slit deviating from its center. By breaking the symmetry of the SSPs, slit resonance mode with standing wave patterns can be excited, and the locations of the absorption peaks can be well estimated by using the Fabry-Pérot (F-P) cavity model. Although there is no excitation of surface plasmon resonance, ultra-narrowband light absorption can be achieved by minimizing the reflectance through perfect impedance matching and simultaneously eliminating the transmittance by the metallic substrate. Good ultra-narrowband absorption features can be maintained as the parameters of the buffer layer and the SSPs are altered. When this type of symmetry-broken SSPs-based metamaterial is used in refractive-index sensors, it shows excellent sensing properties due to its stable ultra-narrowband absorption enhancement.

Numerical Study of Angle-Insensitive and Tunable Dual-Band THz Absorber Using Periodic Cross-Shaped Graphene Arrays

A dual-band terahertz (THz) absorber using the periodic cross-shaped graphene arrays is presented. It is shown that the dual-band light absorption enhancement of graphene results from the edge graphene plasmon (EGP) resonance, and the locations of the two absorption peaks can be precisely estimated by using the Fabry-Pérot (F-P) cavity model. Slight residual reflection remains at the two absorption peaks because the input impedance of the cross-arm cannot be perfectly matched with the free space impedance. In addition, the locations of the two absorption bands can be simultaneously tuned by changing the Fermi level of graphene, and they can be independently tuned by changing the width or the length of the cross-arm of graphene. Excellent angle-insensitivity dual-band absorption enhancement of graphene can be maintained for both the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations.