2024-03-19T09:29:35Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/2189892021-10-27T11:24:55Zcom_10261_93com_10261_4col_10261_346
Garcia-Pardo, Marina
Nieto-Pinero, Eva
Petford-Long, Amanda K.
Serna, Rosalía
Toudert, Johann
2020-09-02T09:40:04Z
2020-09-02T09:40:04Z
2020-02-20
Nanophotonics 9: 885-896 (2020)
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/218989
10.1515/nanoph-2019-0502
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100012818
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000015
The active and analog tuning of the phase of light by metamaterials is needed to boost the switching performance of photonic devices. However, demonstrations of this type of tuning in the pivotal visible spectral region are still scarce. Herein, we report the active analog tuning of the phase of visible light reflected by a bismuth (Bi)-based metamaterial, enabled by a reversible solid-liquid transition. This metamaterial, fabricated by following a lithography-free approach, consists of two-dimensional assemblies of polydisperse plasmonic Bi nanostructures embedded in a refractory and transparent aluminum oxide matrix. The analog tuning of the phase is achieved by the controlled heating of the metamaterial to melt a fraction of the nanostructures. A maximum tuning of 320° (1.8 π) is observed upon the complete melting of the nanostructures at 230°C. This tuning is reversible by cooling to 25°C. In addition, it presents a wide hysteretic character due to liquid Bi undercooling. This enables the phase achieved by this analog approach to remain stable over a broad temperature range upon cooling and until re-solidification occurs around 100°C. Therefore, Bi-based metamaterials are endowed with analog optical memory capabilities, which are appealing for a wide range of applications, including optical data storage with enhanced information density or bistable photonic switching with a tunable "on" state.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
openAccess
Phase change material
Metamaterial
Bismuth
Phase
Visible
Active analog tuning of the phase of light in the visible regime by bismuth-based metamaterials
artículo