Graphene-based hyperbolic metamaterial as a switchable reflection modulator.

A tunable graphene-based hyperbolic metamaterial is designed and numerically investigated in the mid-infrared frequencies. Theoretical analysis proves that by adjusting the chemical potential of graphene from 0.2 eV to 0.8 eV, the reflectance can be blue-shifted up to 2.3 µm. Furthermore, by modifying the number of graphene monolayers in the hyperbolic metamaterial stack, we are able to shift the plasmonic resonance up to 3.6 µm. Elliptic and type II hyperbolic dispersions are shown for three considered structures. Importantly, a blue/red-shift and switching of the reflectance are reported at different incident angles in TE/TM modes. The obtained results clearly show that graphene-based hyperbolic metamaterials with reversibly controlled tunability may be used in the next generation of nonlinear tunable and reversibly switchable devices operating in the mid-IR range.

Thermally induced tunability of a terahertz metamaterial by using a specially designed nematic liquid crystal mixture.

The search for new low loss nematic liquid crystal mixtures with enhanced birefringence and low temperature of nematic-to-isotropic phase transition plays a pivotal role in a development of new applications in the emerging field of thermally tunable metamaterials. Here we maximize thermally induced tunability of a terahertz metamaterial by using a specially designed nematic liquid crystal mixture. It is shown that the resonant response of a metamaterial device can be effectively tuned both in terms of its magnitude and wavelength with the spectral tunability approaching the theoretical limit of 8 GHz. Electromagnetic simulations confirm our tests and match the experimental observations well. The suggested approach opens new routes for next-generation soft-matter-based filtering and sensing components and devices.

Active control of dielectric singularities in indium-tin-oxides hyperbolic metamaterials.

Dielectric singularities (DSs) constitute one of the most exotic features occurring in the effective permittivity of artificial multilayers called hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs). Associated to DSs, a rich phenomenology arises that justifies the ever-increasing interest profuse by the photonic community in achieving an active control of their properties. As an example, the possibility to "canalize" light down to the nanoscale as well as the capability of HMMs to interact with quantum emitters, placed in their proximity, enhancing their emission rate (Purcell effect), are worth mentioning. HMMs, however, suffer of an intrinsic lack of tunability of its DSs. Several architectures have been proposed to overcome this limit and, among them, the use of graphene outstands. Graphene-based HMMs recently shown outstanding canalization capabilities achieving λ/1660 light collimation. Despite the exceptional performances promised by these structures, stacking graphene/oxide multilayers is still an experimental challenge, especially envisioning electrical gating of all the graphene layers. In this paper, we propose a valid alternative in which indium-tin-oxide (ITO) is used as an electrically tunable metal. Here we have numerically designed and analyzed an ITO/SiO2 based HMM with a tunable canalization wavelength within the range between 1.57 and 2.74 µm. The structure feature light confinement of λ/8.8 (resolution of about 178 nm), self-focusing of the light down to 0.26 µm and Purcell factor of approximately 700. The proposed HMM nanoarchitecture could be potentially used in many applications, such as ultra-fast signal processing, high harmonic generation, lab-on-a-chip nanodevices, bulk plasmonic waveguides in integrated photonic circuits and laser diode collimators.

Graphene-based tunable hyperbolic microcavity.

Graphene-based hyperbolic metamaterials provide a unique scaffold for designing nanophotonic devices with active functionalities. In this work, we have theoretically demonstrated that the characteristics of a polarization-dependent tunable hyperbolic microcavity in the mid-infrared frequencies could be realized by modulating the thickness of the dielectric layers, and thus breaking periodicity in a graphene-based hyperbolic metamaterial stack. Transmission of the tunable microcavity shows a Fabry-Perot resonant mode with a Q-factor > 20, and a sixfold local enhancement of electric field intensity. It was found that by varying the gating voltage of graphene from 2 to 8 V, the device could be self-regulated with respect to both the intensity (up to 30%) and spectrum (up to 2.1 µm). In addition, the switching of the device was considered over a wide range of incident angles for both the transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes. Finally, numerical analysis indicated that a topological transition between elliptic and type II hyperbolic dispersion could be actively switched. The proposed scheme represents a remarkably versatile platform for the mid-infrared wave manipulation and may find applications in many multi-functional architectures, including ultra-sensitive filters, low-threshold lasers, and photonic chips.

Ultrafast electrical switching of nanostructured metadevice with dual-frequency liquid crystal.

Shortening of switching times of various soft-matter-based tunable metamaterials is one of the key challenges to improve the functionality of modern active devices. Here we show an effective strategy in the evolution of soft-matter-based tunable metamaterials that makes possible acceleration of both on and off switching processes by using a dual-frequency liquid crystal mixture. The frequency-convertible dielectric anisotropy of the dual-frequency mixture enabled us to create a fast-response in-plane switching metasurface at the nanoscale, which could be tuned by an electrical signal with different frequencies. The results clearly show that the resonance of the metamaterial can be continuously and reversibly controlled within a wavelength range of 100 nm as the applied frequency is inverted between 1 kHz and 40 kHz, with a total response time (τ = τON + τOFF) of 1.89 ms. Furthermore, experimental characteristics of the hybrid metamaterial are in great agreement with numerical calculations, which allow us to anticipate active epsilon-near-zero behavior of the metadevice. This work indicates the future development direction of liquid-crystal-based active plasmonic systems.