Active mid-infrared polarization control by a coupled surface plasmon-phonon polariton cavity on VO2-SiC metasurfaces

ORAL

Abstract


Polarimetry is an invaluable tool for investigating material properties under the influence of polarized light. Often, long-wave infrared polarimetry is limited due to a lack of polarization-sensitive optical components at mid- and far-infrared (MIR and FIR). Here, we experimentally demonstrate a MIR active and highly efficient polarization-control nanostructure. We measure the polarization rotation and ellipticity induced from gold subwavelength grating structures on top of vanadium dioxide (VO2) film on silicon carbide. The proposed structure has a resonance at 840 cm-1 due to the Fabry-Perot cavity array of coupled surface plasmon-phonon polaritons. The insulator-metal phase transition of VO2 at 55C causes a 25 cm-1 resonance shift. The light component parallel to the grating reflects when on resonance, while the perpendicular light is strongly absorbed. Off resonance, the reflected light gains an additional scattering phase and intensity from the cavity, changing its polarization. A custom, high-resolution polarimetric spectrum microscope was developed to measure the IR polarization spectra of samples as small as 100x100-micron. This work demonstrates a novel polarimetry apparatus, enabling researchers to do precise polarimetric studies of small samples at FIR wavelengths.

*The work at Los Alamos National Laboratory was supported by the NNSA's Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, and was performed, in part, at the CINT, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action equal opportunity employer, is managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA, under contract 89233218CNA000001.

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Presenters

  • Zach M Brown

    • Texas Tech University,
    • Texas Tech University

Authors

  • Zach M Brown

    • Texas Tech University,
    • Texas Tech University

  • SATYANARAYANA R KACHIRAJU

    • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

  • Sundar Kunwar

    • lanl
    • Los Alamos National Lab
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA

  • Long Chang

    • UH
    • University of Houston

  • Pinku Roy

    • lanl
    • Los Alamos National Lab
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA

  • Ayrton A Bernussi

    • Texas tech university
    • Texas Tech University
    • Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and NanoTech Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA

  • Vladimir Kuryatkov

    • TTU
    • Texas Tech University
    • Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and NanoTech Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA

  • Matthew Gaddy

    • Texas Tech University
    • Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and NanoTech Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA

  • Aiping Chen

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • lanl
    • Los Alamos National Lab
    • Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA

  • Myoung-Hwan Kim

    • Texas Tech University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University