Abstract

Bloch surface waves (BSWs) are surface states excited at the interface between a one-dimensional dielectric photonic crystal (1D-PC) and some ambient material. They are promising alternatives to propagating surface plasmon polaritons thanks to their much longer propagation lengths (up to thousand times the wavelength) that is not limited by absorption and the opportunity to excite them in both polarizations. They are currently considered for multiple applications in integrated optical systems or for sensing devices [1].

Highlights

  • The control of electromagnetic fields in integrated environments is of paramount importance for a large number of applications in the broader context of information transmission, acquisition, and processing[1,2,3,4,5]

  • We even obtain a focal width that is slightly smaller than half the wavelength when the focal point is placed directly behind the element. This is realized by exploiting near-field components directly behind the structured device. We experimentally demonstrate their anticipated functionality by means of measurements with a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM)[22]

  • We demonstrate that computational strategies for inverse photonic design are suitable to achieve functional elements that can control the propagation of Bloch surface waves (BSWs) to an extraordinary degree

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Summary

Introduction

The control of electromagnetic fields in integrated environments is of paramount importance for a large number of applications in the broader context of information transmission, acquisition, and processing[1,2,3,4,5]. Even stronger integration with better accessibility is achieved by confining electromagnetic waves to surfaces[8]. This led to the notion of surface waves, i.e., self-consistent solutions to Maxwell’s equations localized at the interface between two media that exponentially decay away from the interface. While exploiting the coupling of light to an electronic excitation, the concentration of electromagnetic fields in a nanometric region close to the interface can be achieved. This has been instrumental for a large number of applications, e.g., to sense molecules or, more generally, to guide light at small length scales[10].

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