3 research outputs found
Perfect Absorption at the Ultimate Thickness Limit in Planar Films
No full textReducing device volume is one of the key requirements
for advanced
nanophotonic technologies; however, this demand is often at odds with
designing highly absorbing elements which usually require sizable
thicknesses, such as for detector and sensor applications. Here we
theoretically explore the thickness limitations of perfectly absorbing
resonant systems and show surprisingly low bounds on minimal required
thicknesses for total light absorption in thin planar films. We present
a framework for understanding, predicting, and engineering topologically
protected perfect absorption in a wide range of resonantly absorbing
materials. The proposed analytical approach leads to a simple relation
between a perfect absorber’s thickness and dielectric function
loss, which also serves as a guide for determining the absorption
potential of existing and emerging materials at the ultimate thickness
limit. The presented results offer new insights into the extremes
of light–matter interaction and can facilitate the design of
ultrasensitive light absorbers for detector and sensor systems
