Dispersion control and active materials integration have yielded plasmonic components including i) three-dimensional single layer plasmonic metamaterials ii) all-optical, electro-optic and field effect modulation of plasmon propagation iii) plasmon-enhanced absorption in solar cells

Atwater, Harry A.

English

Caltech Authors - Main

Plasmonics: 
Chip-Based Component Devices and Metamaterials 
 
 
Harry A. Atwater 
Thomas J. Watson Laboratory of Applied Physics 
California Institute of Technology 
MS 128-95 
Pasadena, CA 91125 
haa@caltech.edu 
 Abstract:  Dispersion control and active materials integration have yielded plasmonic components 
 including i) three-dimensional single layer plasmonic metamaterials ii) all-optical, electro-optic and 
 field effect modulation of plasmon propagation iii) plasmon-enhanced absorption 
  in solar cells.  
 .©2008 Optical Society of America [9-point type] 
 OCIS codes: (160.3918) Metamaterials; (250.3140)   Integrated optoelectronic circuits  
 
1. Introduction  
Plasmonics has provided nanoscience researchers new control of optical dispersion and light localization at 
nanoscale dimensions.  Plasmonic design approaches are yielding new metamaterials designs and also the building 
blocks for chip-based optical component device technology with potential imaging, spectroscopy and 
interconnection applications in ultramicroscopy, computing, communication and chemical/biological detection. 
 
2. Plasmonic Metamaterials 
We expand upon recently reported work on direct observation of two-dimensional negative refraction in the 
visible frequency range[1]  to develop a general approach to realization of three-dimensional single-layer, all-angle, 
polarization-independent plasmonic metamaterials exhibiting negative refraction.  Full wave simulations and the 
extraction of the mode-effective permittivity and permeability from experiments across the negative refraction 
regime and show that both are negative. 
 
3. Modulators 
Metal-dielectric plasmon waveguides can serve as active switching elements when the dielectric refractive index 
can be actively modulated.  We demonstrate all-plasmonic modulation in which the complex mode refractive index 
seen by a surface plasmon polariton at infrared free-space wavelength ( = 1.42 m) is modulated via interband 
excitation of the dielectric medium at visible frequencies ( = 0.514 m) [2].  We also demonstrate electro-optic 
refractive index modulation in metal-dielectric-metal plasmon waveguides using low-voltage electro-optic 
modulation of both silicon and perovskites oxide dielectric layers.  Finally, we also demonstrate field effect 
modulation of the complex refactive mode index for plasmonic modes propagating in the channel of a silicon MOS 
field effect device. 
 
4. Photovoltaics 
The efficiency and cost effectiveness of photovoltaic cells can both be increased by reduction of the active 
semiconductor absorber layer thickness and ability to fabricate ultrathin absorber layers opens up new possibilities 
for solar cell device design.  The strong mode localization of surface plasmon polaritons at metal-dielectric 
interfaces leads to strong absorption in semiconductors thin films, enabling a dramatic (10-100X)  reduction in the 
semiconductor absorber physical thickness needed to achieve an optically thick film.  Modal analysis in full wave 
simulation allows us to determine the fraction of power absorbed by the solar cell to be determined for both 
dielectric and plasmonic modes. 
 
[1] HJ. Lezec, J.A. Dionne, H.A. Atwater, Science 316 430 (2007) 
[2] D. Pacifici, HJ. Lezec, and, H.A. Atwater, Nature Photonics 1 402 (2007). 
 
 
       a370_1.pdf  
 
© 2008 OSA / CLEO/QELS 2008
       QWA1.pdf  
 
978-1-55752-859-9/08/$25.00 ©2008 IEEE
Authorized licensed use limited to: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. Downloaded on October 8, 2008 at 17:04 from IEEE Xplore.  Restrictions apply.


Plasmonics: Chip-based component devices and metamaterials

http://authors.library.caltech.edu/11918/1/ATWqels08.pdf

Plasmonics: Chip-based component devices and metamaterials

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Caltech Authors - Main