Nanoboomerang-based inverse metasurfaces—A promising path towards ultrathin photonic devices for transmission operation

Abstract

Ultra-compact visible chiral spectrometer with meta-lenses APL Photonics 2, 036103 (2017) Metasurfaces have revolutionized photonics due to their ability to shape phase fronts as requested and to tune beam directionality using nanoscale metallic or dielectric scatterers. Here we reveal inverse metasurfaces showing superior properties compared to their positive counterparts if transmission mode operation is considered. The key advantage of such slot-type metasurfaces is the strong reduction of light in the parallel-polarization state, making the crossed-polarization, being essential for metasurface operation, dominant and highly visible. In the experiment, we show an up to four times improvement in polarization extinction for the individual metasurface element geometry consisting of deep subwavelength nanoboomerangs with feature sizes of the order of 100 nm. As confirmed by simulations, strong plasmonic hybridization yields two spectrally separated plasmonic resonances, ultimately allowing for the desired phase and scattering engineering in transmission. Due to the design flexibility of inverse metasurfaces, a large number of highly integrated ultra-flat photonic elements can be envisioned, examples of which include monolithic lenses for telecommunications and spectroscopy, beam shaper or generator for particle trapping or acceleration or sophisticated polarization control for microscopy. © 2017 Author (s)

Ultrahigh numerical aperture meta-fibre for flexible optical trapping

“…Recent advances in nanotechnology provide unprecedented opportunities to shape optical beams via the use of ultrathin meta-surfaces that are composed of subwavelength elements, and, thus, allow digitization and tailoring of wavefronts at interfaces 15 , 16 . In this context, implementation of meta-lenses on fibre tips for tight light focusing has been realized via, e.g., focused ion-beam milling 17 , 18 and chemical etching 19 ; however, the realized meta-lenses only reach a maximum NA of 0.37 (ref.…”

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“…[5,6] The advantage of our EBL approach compared with other patterning methods is that it is a wellestablished technology within the context of nanostructure implementation, which is scalable to larger areas (i.e., bundles of many fibers), technologically flexible in terms of the actual implementation strategy, and customizable for more sophisticated material combinations.A recently introduced scheme to tailor the properties of light beams relies on metasurfaces (MSs). [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] These ultraflat nanoscale elements represent a promising approach to shape light fields in an unprecedented manner via managing their scattering properties. MSs are typically realized by well-established nanostructuring technologies (e.g., EBL) in combination with dry or wet etching and consist of ensembles of subwavelength scatterers with nanometer dimensions having well-controlled interelement phase relations and scattering amplitudes.…”

“…A recently introduced scheme to tailor the properties of light beams relies on metasurfaces (MSs). [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] These ultraflat nanoscale elements represent a promising approach to shape light fields in an unprecedented manner via managing their scattering properties. MSs are typically realized by well-established nanostructuring technologies (e.g., EBL) in combination with dry or wet etching and consist of ensembles of subwavelength scatterers with nanometer dimensions having well-controlled interelement phase relations and scattering amplitudes.…”