Far-field controllable excitation of phonon polariton via nanostructure engineering

• Main Authors: Qiang, Bo, Yuan, Guanghui, Zhao, Meng, Liu, Hong, Wang, Qi Jie, Wang, Qian
• Other Authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Nanotechnology; Phonon Polariton (PhP); Hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN)
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/146255
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) as a natural mid-infrared (mid-IR) hyperbolic material which supports a strong excitation of phonon polariton (PhP) has enabled a new class of photonic devices with unprecedented functionalities. The hyperbolic property of h-BN has not only brought in new physical insights but also spurred potential applications. However, most of the current h-BN devices are designed repying on near-field excitation and manipulation of PhP. For fully realizing the potentials of h-BN, research on far-field controllable excitation and control of PhP is important for future integrated photonic devices. In this work, we exploit the designs of controllable far-field excitation of PhP in nanostructure-patterned h-BN thin film for deep subwavelength focusing (FWHM∼λ0/14.9) and interference patterns of 1D (FWHM∼λ0/52) and 2D standing waves (FWHM∼λ0/36.8) which find great potential for super-resolution imaging beyond diffraction limit. These polaritonic patterns could be easily tuned remotely by manipulating the polarization and phase of incident laser. This approach provides a novel platform for practical IR nanophotonic devices and potential applications in mid-IR bio-imaging and sensing.