Ultralight Angstrom-Scale Optimal Optical Reflectors
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Ultra-light_AA-scale_Optimal_Optical_Reflectors.pdf
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Author(s)
Papadakis, Georgia T.
Narang, Prineha
Sundararaman, Ravishankar
Buljan, Hrvoje
Engheta, Nader
Rivera, Nicholas H.
Soljacic, Marin
Date Issued
June 2017
Journal
ACS Photonics
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Citation
Papadakis, Georgia T. et al. “Ultralight Angstrom-Scale Optimal Optical Reflectors.” ACS Photonics 5, 2 (November 2017): 384–389 © 2017 American Chemical Society
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
High reflectance in many state-of-the-art optical devices is achieved with noble metals. However, metals are limited by losses and, for certain applications, by their high mass density. Using a combination of ab initio and optical transfer matrix calculations, we evaluate the behavior of graphene-based angstrom-scale metamaterials and find that they could act as nearly perfect reflectors in the mid-long-wave infrared (IR) range. The low density of states for electron-phonon scattering and interband excitations leads to unprecedented optical properties for graphene heterostructures, especially alternating atomic layers of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, at wavelengths greater than 10 μm. At these wavelengths, these materials exhibit reflectivities exceeding 99.7% at a fraction of the weight of noble metals, as well as plasmonic mode confinement and quality factors that are greater by an order of magnitude compared to noble metals. These findings hold promise for ultracompact optical components and waveguides for mid-IR applications. Moreover, unlike metals, the photonic properties of these heterostructures could be actively tuned via chemical and/or electrostatic doping, providing exciting possibilities for tunable devices. Keywords: 2D heterotructures; perfect electric conductors; plasmonic waveguides; surface plasmons
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1021/ACSPHOTONICS.7B00609
