Influence of surface termination on inverse Goos-H\"anchen shift of negatively refractive photonic crystals

The effect of surface termination on the inverse Goos Hanchen (GH) shift of two dimensional (2D) negatively refractive photonic crystal (NRPhC) containing air holes arranged in hexagonal lattice in a dielectric background is investigated for TM polarization. Results show that the magnitude of the inverse GH shift of 2DNRPhC strongly depends on surface termination even for an incident beam with a fixed frequency and incidence angle. Further study by calculating the dispersion of surface mode of 2D-NRPhC as a function of surface termination reveals that 2DNRPhC presents large inverse Goos Hanchen shift at those terminations where surface mode is excited, that is, large inverse Goos-Hanchen shift originates from backward surface mode of 2DNRPhC. In addition, the coupling coefficient of incident field into the field of surface mode as a function of surface termination is studied and demonstrates above results. This paper provides technical information regarding the combination of various functional photonic elements in the design of integrated optical circuits.Comment: 5 pages,6 figure

Metamaterial Radiation from Attenuated Total Reflection at Terahertz Frequencies

The focus of this research was to explore the behavior of two-dimensional planar metamaterials or metafilms and understand the various excitation schemes for application of metafilms to Terahertz-Attenuated Total Reflection spectroscopy (THz-ATR). A standard THz time domain spectroscopy system based on photoconductive switches was modified to implement the ATR technique. Finite metamaterial arrays with varying singly- split ring resonator sizes were excited in the Kretschmann ATR configuration using finite sized terahertz beams. Numerical approaches using commercial software were looked into to explain the experimental observations. Various theoretical models were used to explain the observed phenomena. The ATR measurements showed an unexpected strengthening of the resonance when the metafilm sample was illuminated near the edge. This phenomenon referred to in this study as "the anomalous edge enhancement" was observed strongly in metafilms with closely spaced rings. A re-radiation signal was observed across the total internal reflection barrier where no signal is expected. It consisted of two peaks one at the fundamental metamaterial resonance and the second peak was due to the periodicity of the metafilm array. The anomalous behavior seen in the ATR measurements is attributed to the edge currents at the boundary of the metafilm array giving rise to this re-radiation signal. Results from analytic treatments based on Floquet method and method of moments were able to qualitatively model the measurements. The observed re-radiation signal is a potential loss mechanism that could impact observations from commonly used transmission measurements on metamaterials.Electrical Engineerin

Mesoporous Thin-film Materials Studied by Optical Waveguide Spectroscopy

A method was developed to access the interior of light-guiding structures in order to exploit the enhanced sensing potential of the highly confined electromagnetic field distributions, located within the core of a waveguide. The work presented in this thesis explores therefore the possibilities of optical waveguide spectroscopy utilising transparent mesoporous thin-film waveguides deposited on top of athin gold layer. These multi-layer assemblies are employed in a prism-coupling attenuated total internal reflection (ATR) configuration. The angular read-out of the reflected light intensity allows label-free detection schemes with high sensitivity to changes of the dielectric environment in the case of the presence of analyte molecules within the probing region. This optical waveguide spectroscopy technique has been used to study the real-timediffusion of Ruthenium 535-bisTBA (N-719) dye into mesoporous nanocrystalline titaniumdioxide films. The porous films were prepared on top of gold substrates and prism coupling was used to create a guided wave in the nanocrystalline film. Dying was carried out by bring the film into contact with a 3 x 10-4 moldm-3 dye solution and using optical waveguide spectroscopy to monitor the change in both the refractive index and theextinction coefficient of the nanoporous layer as dye diffused into the porous network. Dyeuptake in a 1.27 μm film was slow with the refractive index of the film still increasing after 22 hours.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Recent Advances and Future Trends in Nanophotonics

Nanophotonics has emerged as a multidisciplinary frontier of science and engineering. Due to its high potential to contribute to breakthroughs in many areas of technology, nanophotonics is capturing the interest of many researchers from different fields. This Special Issue of Applied Sciences on “Recent advances and future trends in nanophotonics” aims to give an overview on the latest developments in nanophotonics and its roles in different application domains. Topics of discussion include, but are not limited to, the exploration of new directions of nanophotonic science and technology that enable technological breakthroughs in high-impact areas mainly regarding diffraction elements, detection, imaging, spectroscopy, optical communications, and computing

Near-field characterization of Bloch surface waves based 2D optical components

Bloch surface waves (BSWs) are surface electromagnetic modes that propagate at the interface between a multilayer substrate and a homogeneous external medium. The optical field of the surface mode is confined near the surface of the multilayer. This vertical confinement as well as the low absorption inherent to the dielectric materials make the BSWs an interesting candidate for the development of 2D optical systems and sensors. Such a periodic multilayer structure is introduced as a platform on which many optical functions can therefore be created. In this thesis, two-dimensional optical components based on the Bloch wave platform are studied, in particular: a disk resonator, a Bessel-like beam generator and a waveguide grating as a Bragg mirror engraved in a waveguide. The optical properties of the components such as the resonance inside the disc, the "quasi non-diffracting" behavior and the reflection properties are presented. The 2D optical components are designed from a commercial FDTD program (CST Microwave studio). They are then characterized by a near-field scanning microscope with multi-heterodyne detection (MH-SNOM). Thanks to the MH-SNOM, it is possible to map the field distribution locally at the surface of the structures with a resolution lower than the wavelength. Simultaneous measurement of amplitude and phase allows a detailed reconstruction of the complex amplitude of the electric field. In a first part, the influence of a device layer of material with a high refractive index (TiO2) is studied. The impact of the thickness of the TiO2 layer on the propagation properties of the BSWs is presented. It is demonstrated that by adapting the thickness of the device layer, the BSW dispersion curve position can be moved within the photonic band gap and consequently the BSW mode propagation properties can be adapted. The propagation properties of the BSWs include, for example, the propagation length and the effective refractive index. Thanks to the low losses and the design of our multilayer platform, propagation lengths in the range of millimeter are obtained. In a second part, 2D optical components fabricated in a 60 nm (wavelength/25) device layer of TiO2 are presented, and initially, disk resonators. The latter are key elements in integrated optics systems. For a disk with a radius of 100 µm, an experimental quality factor of the order of 10^3 is obtained. A 2D Bessel-like beam generator is also studied. An isosceles triangle is used to generate such a beams. The main expected property of Bessel-type beams is their "quasi non-diffracting" nature. The optical properties of non-diffracting beams are measured in the near-field for different base/height ratios of the isosceles triangle. It is demonstrated that the beam propagates without significant spreading for considerable propagation distance, approximately 50 µm. Finally, the gratings engraved in a waveguide are studied. It is demonstrated that they perform as a Bragg mirror at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Thanks to the MH-SNOM, the interference fringes between the incident wave and the reflected wave are measured. The experimental reflectivity is obtained from the contrast of the interference fringes. The presented waveguide grating can be used as a Bragg reflector at telecom wavelengths for 2D optics systems

Development of Novel Optical Planar Waveguide-based Biosensors using a Nanotechnology Approach

This work aims at the development of novel biosensor based on optical planar waveguide (OPW) for detection of mycotoxins, which are common contaminants in agriculture products (grains, beans, nuts, fruits) and associated food and feed. These low molecular weight toxins produced by various fungi species possess a substantial danger to human and animals, and thus are under strict legislated limits in sub-ppm (part per million) level. The detection of mycotoxins in such low concentrations is of great interest nowadays. A novel detection principle of polarization interferometry (PI) exploited in this system (which can be considered as a logical continuation of ellipsometry) in based on tracking changes in the polarization state of a laser beam passing through the waveguide and affected by immobilized in the waveguide sensing window. The key element of this sensor is a planar optical waveguide consisting of 190 nm thick silicon nitride core layer sandwiched between two thick layers of silicon dioxide; a sensing window was etched in the top silicon oxide layer to allow monitoring molecular adsorption. A 630 nm polarized light from a laser diode coupled through the slant edge of the waveguide experiences a large number of reflections (about 500 per mm) when propagating through the waveguide. The p- component of polarized light is affected by changes in refractive index in the sensing window, while s- component is less affected and thus serves as a reference. Therefore, the changes in either the medium refractive index or molecular adsorption cause the phase shift between p- and s- components. The observation of the light polarization state is enabled by a polarizer converting the changes in polarization to variations of light intensity which is then recoded with CCD linear array interfaced to PC. The refractive index sensitivity of the OPW PI sensor of about 1600 rad/RIU/mm (the highest value known for optical detection) was found by both the theoretical modelling and experimental testing. The developed experimental set-up was used for detection of mycotoxins, i.e. aflatoxin B1 (AFT B1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEN), in direct assay with two types of bio-receptors immobilized within the sensing window: (i) antibodies electrostatically bound onto silicon nitride surface via layers of poly-allylamine hydrochloride and protein A, or (ii) aptamers covalently bound via SH groups on aminated surface of silicon nitride. The outcome of such biosensing tests was successful; all three mycotoxins were detected in a wide concentration range from10 pg/ml up to 1 g/ml in direct immunoassays with their respective antibodies. The use of specific aptamers as bioreceptors in the latest upgrade of the OPW PI set-up has resulted in much lower detected concentrations of AFT B1 and OTA down to 1pg/ml, with LDL estimated as 0.6 -0.7 pg/ml. The obtained sensitivity in sub-ppt (part per trillion) level is the highest known for optical biosensors, and it is particularly remarkable for a label-free detection of low molecular weight analyte molecules in direct assay format. The developed OPW PI biosensor is universal and can be easily adapted for detection of different analyte molecules by choosing suitable bio-receptors. It can be used equally for detection of small and large molecules, and in different assay formats, e.g. direct, sandwich, and competitive assays, and therefore can be considered as a platform biosensing technology for a wide range of applications, i.e. environmental monitoring, security, agriculture and food industry, and biomedical

Fundamentals and emerging optical applications of hexagonal boron nitride: a tutorial

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), also known as white graphite, is a transparent layered crystal with a wide bandgap. Its crystal structure resembles graphite, featuring layers composed of honeycomb lattices held together through van der Waals forces. The layered crystal structure of hBN facilitates exfoliation into thinner flakes and makes it highly anisotropic in in-plane and out-of-plane directions. Unlike graphite, hBN is both insulating and transparent, making it an ideal material for isolating devices from the environment and acting as a waveguide. As a result, hBN has found extensive applications in optical devices, electronic devices, and quantum photonic devices. This comprehensive tutorial aims to provide readers with a thorough understanding of hBN, covering its synthesis, lattice and spectroscopic characterization, and various applications in optoelectronic and quantum photonic devices. This tutorial is designed for both readers without prior experience in hBN and those with expertise in specific fields seeking to understand its relevance and connections to others

Analysis of sensitivity and resolution in plasmonic microscopes

Surface plasmons (SP) are guided electromagnetic wave propagating along the surface of metal. The properties of SP are affected by the material attached to the metallic surface so they can be used as a very sensitive sensor capable of detecting the deposition of subnanometric layers of dielectric. SP has been widely investigated for biosensor applications and the theory is well established. Although SP sensors have been well studied, integrating the SP to a microscope is a relatively young field. Since the SPs are surface waves; microscopy techniques to optimise the SP microscope performance will require totally different techniques to non-surface wave microscopy. This thesis develops a theoretical framework to understand different types of SP microscope setups through the rigorous diffraction theory. The framework analyses the diffraction process through rigorous wave coupled analysis (RCWA) and a software package processes the diffracted orders to recover the microscope response for a range of different systems. In this thesis I will investigate the non-interferometric SP microscope, interferometric SP microscope and confocal SP microscope. I will show that the non-interferometric system exhibits a trade-off between lateral resolution and sensitivity, where an image obtained with a good contrast will have low lateral resolution. In order to get around the trade-off, the interferometric system can be employed; however, the main challenge for the interferometric setup is its optical alignment. I will show that a confocal SP microscope, which has been developed as a part of this thesis, can simplify the complexity of the interferometric system and give similar measurement performance. For the interferometric and confocal systems, the SP measurements are normally carried out through the interference signal, which is interference between a reference beam and the SP. I will suggest a method to extract SP propagation parameters from the interference signal by employing a spatial light modulator and also show that the SP propagation parameters do not only give us some insight to the SP effect for the interferometric system, but also gives us a new imaging mode to improve the resolution

Analysis of sensitivity and resolution in plasmonic microscopes

Surface plasmons (SP) are guided electromagnetic wave propagating along the surface of metal. The properties of SP are affected by the material attached to the metallic surface so they can be used as a very sensitive sensor capable of detecting the deposition of subnanometric layers of dielectric. SP has been widely investigated for biosensor applications and the theory is well established. Although SP sensors have been well studied, integrating the SP to a microscope is a relatively young field. Since the SPs are surface waves; microscopy techniques to optimise the SP microscope performance will require totally different techniques to non-surface wave microscopy. This thesis develops a theoretical framework to understand different types of SP microscope setups through the rigorous diffraction theory. The framework analyses the diffraction process through rigorous wave coupled analysis (RCWA) and a software package processes the diffracted orders to recover the microscope response for a range of different systems. In this thesis I will investigate the non-interferometric SP microscope, interferometric SP microscope and confocal SP microscope. I will show that the non-interferometric system exhibits a trade-off between lateral resolution and sensitivity, where an image obtained with a good contrast will have low lateral resolution. In order to get around the trade-off, the interferometric system can be employed; however, the main challenge for the interferometric setup is its optical alignment. I will show that a confocal SP microscope, which has been developed as a part of this thesis, can simplify the complexity of the interferometric system and give similar measurement performance. For the interferometric and confocal systems, the SP measurements are normally carried out through the interference signal, which is interference between a reference beam and the SP. I will suggest a method to extract SP propagation parameters from the interference signal by employing a spatial light modulator and also show that the SP propagation parameters do not only give us some insight to the SP effect for the interferometric system, but also gives us a new imaging mode to improve the resolution

Goos-Hänchen shift of self-collimated beam in Kretschmann configuration based on photonic crystal

We perform the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations and analyze a dual-beam-reflection phenomenon for a Gaussian beam illuminating a Kretschmann configuration composed of a lossless dielectric waveguide between a photonic-crystal-made prism and air. One reflection beam has a small positive shift and the other has a large negative shift in the dual-beam-reflection phenomenon. The FDTD shows that the specific phenomenon takes place just when the corresponding leaky surface mode supported in the Kretschmann configuration is excited. Field profile of the surface mode demonstrates a strong localized stationary field in the dielectric waveguide. We find that the maximum negative lateral shift is -23.23a, corresponding to 4.99 times of the incident wavelength, which is 1.1615 times of the beam waist.</jats:p