Bright Field Structural Colors in Silicon-on-Insulator Nanostructures

Abstract

Structural coloration with artificially nanostructured materials is emerging as a prospective alternative to traditional pigments for the high resolution, sustainable recycling, and long-time durability. However, achieving bright field structural colors with dielectric nanostructures remains a great challenge due to the weak scattering in an asymmetric environment. Here, we demonstrate all-dielectric bright field structural colors with diffraction-limited resolution on the silicon-on-insulator platform. The backscattering is strongly enhanced from the constructive interference between Mie resonances of individual Si antennas and Fabry−Perot resonances supported by the SiO 2 layer. The fabricated colors with varying hues and saturations show strong insensitivity with respect to the interparticle spacing and, remarkably, the viewing angle under resonant conditions. Compared with creating a quasi-homogeneous environment, our strategy is solid and complementary metal−oxide semiconductor integrable, paving the way for practical applications of structural colors in nanoscale color printing, microdisplays, and imaging.

Obtaining a colored nanostructured layer of amorphous silicon by etching in chlorine-containing plasma

“…2 in the red region (b). Similar reflection spectra were observed for a Si surface structured with nanodisks and an interference SiO 2 sublayer [14]. The emergence of small local peaks in the spectrum may be attributed to the presence of NW structures of different thickness in the array.…”

“…Although the color of a structured surface is known to be specified by the diameter of nanopillar structures, it is defined in the present case mostly by the interference of light in the α-Si underlayer of a varying thickness. The influence of an additionally deposited dielectric layer on the resonance reflection of α-Si has been noted in [14]. The color of such an NC surface did not change with viewing angle.…”

Obtaining a colored nanostructured layer of amorphous silicon by etching in chlorine-containing plasma

“…2 in the red region (b). Similar reflection spectra were observed for a Si surface structured with nanodisks and an interference SiO 2 sublayer [14]. The emergence of small local peaks in the spectrum may be attributed to the presence of NW structures of different thickness in the array.…”

“…Although the color of a structured surface is known to be specified by the diameter of nanopillar structures, it is defined in the present case mostly by the interference of light in the α-Si underlayer of a varying thickness. The influence of an additionally deposited dielectric layer on the resonance reflection of α-Si has been noted in [14]. The color of such an NC surface did not change with viewing angle.…”

Investigation and Comparison of the Performance for β-Ga2O3 Solar-Blind Photodetectors Grown on Patterned and Flat Sapphire Substrate

“…Meanwhile, the Ga 2 O 3 /PSS device shows color light scattering observed at the electrodes when the device was irradiated with natural light due to the ordered nanocones. These bright colors result from the selective reflection of light from periodic microstructures, which are called structural colors [43,44]. From a physical point of view, structural color is color produced by purely physical structures that do not contain any pigment elements.…”

Mie Resonances Enabled Subtractive Structural Colors with Low-Index-Contrast Silicon Metasurfaces

“…It should be pointed out that the underlying mechanism of our strategy differs from the reported Si-based additive structural color. 16,[21][22][23][24]32,33 Structural colors based on nanostructures on a low index substrate are generated by the reflection resonant peaks, which originate from the strong Mie scattering (more details see Figure S5). However, our reflection spectra in Figure 1b have one or two major spectral dips in the visible frequencies, leading to reflection complementary colors.…”

Obtaining a colored nanostructured layer of amorphous silicon by etching in chlorine-containing plasma

“…2 in the red region (b). Similar reflection spectra were observed for a Si surface structured with nanodisks and an interference SiO 2 sublayer [14]. The emergence of small local peaks in the spectrum may be attributed to the presence of NW structures of different thickness in the array.…”

“…Although the color of a structured surface is known to be specified by the diameter of nanopillar structures, it is defined in the present case mostly by the interference of light in the α-Si underlayer of a varying thickness. The influence of an additionally deposited dielectric layer on the resonance reflection of α-Si has been noted in [14]. The color of such an NC surface did not change with viewing angle.…”

Investigation and Comparison of the Performance for β-Ga2O3 Solar-Blind Photodetectors Grown on Patterned and Flat Sapphire Substrate

“…Meanwhile, the Ga 2 O 3 /PSS device shows color light scattering observed at the electrodes when the device was irradiated with natural light due to the ordered nanocones. These bright colors result from the selective reflection of light from periodic microstructures, which are called structural colors [43,44]. From a physical point of view, structural color is color produced by purely physical structures that do not contain any pigment elements.…”

Mie Resonances Enabled Subtractive Structural Colors with Low-Index-Contrast Silicon Metasurfaces

“…It should be pointed out that the underlying mechanism of our strategy differs from the reported Si-based additive structural color. 16,[21][22][23][24]32,33 Structural colors based on nanostructures on a low index substrate are generated by the reflection resonant peaks, which originate from the strong Mie scattering (more details see Figure S5). However, our reflection spectra in Figure 1b have one or two major spectral dips in the visible frequencies, leading to reflection complementary colors.…”

Obtaining a colored nanostructured layer of amorphous silicon by etching in chlorine-containing plasma

“…2 in the red region (b). Similar reflection spectra were observed for a Si surface structured with nanodisks and an interference SiO 2 sublayer [14]. The emergence of small local peaks in the spectrum may be attributed to the presence of NW structures of different thickness in the array.…”

“…Although the color of a structured surface is known to be specified by the diameter of nanopillar structures, it is defined in the present case mostly by the interference of light in the α-Si underlayer of a varying thickness. The influence of an additionally deposited dielectric layer on the resonance reflection of α-Si has been noted in [14]. The color of such an NC surface did not change with viewing angle.…”

Investigation and Comparison of the Performance for β-Ga2O3 Solar-Blind Photodetectors Grown on Patterned and Flat Sapphire Substrate

“…Meanwhile, the Ga 2 O 3 /PSS device shows color light scattering observed at the electrodes when the device was irradiated with natural light due to the ordered nanocones. These bright colors result from the selective reflection of light from periodic microstructures, which are called structural colors [43,44]. From a physical point of view, structural color is color produced by purely physical structures that do not contain any pigment elements.…”

Mie Resonances Enabled Subtractive Structural Colors with Low-Index-Contrast Silicon Metasurfaces

“…It should be pointed out that the underlying mechanism of our strategy differs from the reported Si-based additive structural color. 16,[21][22][23][24]32,33 Structural colors based on nanostructures on a low index substrate are generated by the reflection resonant peaks, which originate from the strong Mie scattering (more details see Figure S5). However, our reflection spectra in Figure 1b have one or two major spectral dips in the visible frequencies, leading to reflection complementary colors.…”