Angle-insensitive phase shift in one-dimensional photonic crystal containing hyperbolic metamaterials in the visible range

Abstract

Phase manipulation plays a fundamental role in both optical physics and devices. It is known that the phase shift at the band edges in all-dielectric one-dimensional (1-D) photonic crystals (PCs) is near 0 or π due to the Bragg scattering mechanism. However, the band edges in all-dielectric 1-D PCs shift toward shorter wavelengths as the incident angle increases, which rules out the possibility to realize angle-insensitive (i.e., omnidirectional) phase shift. Herein, we utilize the angle-insensitive property of the band edge in a 1-D PC containing hyperbolic metamaterials to achieve angle-insensitive phase shift in the visible range. At the wavelength around the angle-insensitive band edge, the phase shift remains near zero in the incident angle range from 0 to near 90°. Our work provides a route, under the current experimental conditions, to controlling phase shift.