Experimental demonstration of angle-independent gaps in one-dimensional photonic crystals containing layered hyperbolic metamaterials and dielectrics at visible wavelengths

Abstract

Photonic gaps are the core of photonic crystals in the manipulation of light. However, in conventional photonic crystals composed of two types of dielectrics, the photonic gaps strongly depend on the angle of incidence, which limits their applications. In this Letter, we present the experimental demonstration of angle-independent gaps in the visible wavelength range in one-dimensional photonic crystals composed of layered hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) and dielectrics. HMMs with anomalous wave-vector dispersion can tune the propagating phase of light to an unprecedented extent that usual dielectrics cannot attain. The HMM is mimicked by the layered titanium dioxide and silver with a subwavelength unit cell. Based on the phase-variation compensation effect between the HMM and the dielectric, an angle-independent gap is experimentally realized, which agrees well with the simulated one. This angle-independent gap is very useful in the design of photonic devices such as omnidirectional reflectors with fixed bandwidth or all-angle filters.