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Reconfigurable infrared hyperbolic metasurfaces using phase change materials
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Reconfigurable infrared hyperbolic metasurfaces using phase change materials

T G Folland, A. Fali, S. T. White, J. R. Matson, S. Liu, N. A. Aghamiri, J. H. Edgar, R. F. Haglund, Y. Abate and J. D. Caldwell
Nature communications, Vol.9(1), 4371
10/22/2018
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06858-y
PMCID: PMC6197242
PMID: 30349033
url
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06858-yView
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Metasurfaces control light propagation at the nanoscale for applications in both free-space and surface-confined geometries. However, dynamically changing the properties of metasurfaces can be a major challenge. Here we demonstrate a reconfigurable hyperbolic metasurface comprised of a heterostructure of isotopically enriched hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) in direct contact with the phase-change material (PCM) single-crystal vanadium dioxide (VO2). Metallic and dielectric domains in VO2 provide spatially localized changes in the local dielectric environment, enabling launching, reflection, and transmission of hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs) at the PCM domain boundaries, and tuning the wavelength of HPhPs propagating in hBN over these domains by a factor of 1.6. We show that this system supports in-plane HPhP refraction, thus providing a prototype for a class of planar refractive optics. This approach offers reconfigurable control of in-plane HPhP propagation and exemplifies a generalizable framework based on combining hyperbolic media and PCMs to design optical functionality.
 Multidisciplinary Sciences Science & Technology Science & Technology - Other Topics

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