School of Physics - Research Publications

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    Switchable polarization rotation of visible light using a plasmonic metasurface
    Earl, SK ; James, TD ; Gomez, DE ; Marvel, RE ; Haglund, RF ; Roberts, A (AMER INST PHYSICS, 2017-01-01)
    A metasurface comprising an array of silver nanorods supported by a thin film of the phase change material vanadium dioxide is used to rotate the primary polarization axis of visible light at a pre-determined wavelength. The dimensions of the rods were selected such that, across the two phases of vanadium dioxide, the two lateral localized plasmon resonances (in the plane of the metasurface) occur at the same wavelength. Illumination with linearly polarized light at 45° to the principal axes of the rod metasurface enables excitation of both of these resonances. Modulating the phase of the underlying substrate, we show that it is possible to reversibly switch which axis of the metasurface is resonant at the operating wavelength. Analysis of the resulting Stokes parameters indicates that the orientation of the principal linear polarization axis of the reflected signal is rotated by 90° around these wavelengths. Dynamic metasurfaces such as these have the potential to form the basis of an ultra-compact, low-energy multiplexer or router for an optical signal.
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    Metasurfaces, dark modes, and high NA illumination
    Wesemann, L ; Achmari, P ; Singh, K ; Panchenko, E ; James, TD ; Gomez, DE ; Davis, TJ ; Roberts, A (OPTICAL SOC AMER, 2018-10-15)
    The interaction of a focused beam with a metasurface supporting dark modes is investigated. We show computationally and experimentally that the excitation of dark modes is accompanied by characteristic changes in the reflected Fourier spectrum. This spatial frequency filtering capability indicates an avenue for the all-optical, on-chip detection of phase gradients for biological and other imaging techniques.
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    In-Plane Detection of Guided Surface Plasmons for High-Speed Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits
    Panchenko, E ; Cadusch, JJ ; Avayu, O ; Ellenbogen, T ; James, TD ; Gomez, D ; Roberts, A (WILEY, 2018-01)
    Abstract Constrains on the speed of modern digital integrated circuits are dominated by the metallic interconnects between logic gates. Surface plasmon polaritons have potential to overcome this limitation and greatly increase the operating speed of future digital devices. Nevertheless, an ongoing issue is the compatibility of modern planar microelectronic circuits with current methods for detecting surface plasmons. Here, a new approach to in‐plane surface plasmon polariton detection is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The design is based on metal–semiconductor–metal photodetectors that are acknowledged as having one of the best speed characteristics among photodetectors. In the design, the photodetector structure also plays a dual role as the outcoupling grating for surface plasmons, significantly reducing the footprint of the resulting device. The technique has the potential to enable the integration of surface plasmons as signal carriers in future high‐speed optoelectronic integrated circuits.