Nonlinear optics in all-dielectric nanoantennas and metasurfaces: a review

Basudeb Sain,Cedrik Meier,Thomas Zentgraf

doi:10.1117/1.ap.1.2.024002

Basudeb Sain, Cedrik Meier + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1117/1.ap.1.2.024002

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Journal: Advanced Photonics	Publication Date: Apr 3, 2019
Citations: 171	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Paderborn University

Abstract

Freed from phase-matching constraints, plasmonic metasurfaces have contributed significantly to the control of the optical nonlinearity and enhancing the nonlinear generation efficiency by engineering subwavelength meta-atoms. However, the high dissipative losses and the inevitable thermal heating limit their applicability in nonlinear nanophotonics. All-dielectric metasurfaces, supporting both electric and magnetic Mie-type resonances in their nanostructures, have appeared as a promising alternative to nonlinear plasmonics. High-index dielectric nanostructures, allowing additional magnetic resonances, can induce magnetic nonlinear effects, which along with electric nonlinearities increase the nonlinear conversion efficiency. In addition, low dissipative losses and high damage thresholds provide an extra degree of freedom for operating at high pump intensities, resulting in a considerable enhancement of the nonlinear processes. In this review, we discuss the current state-of-the-art in the intensely developing area of all-dielectric nonlinear nanostructures and metasurfaces, including the role of Mie modes, Fano resonances and anapole moments for harmonic generation, wave mixing, and ultrafast optical switching. Furthermore, we review the recent progress in the nonlinear phase and wavefront control using all-dielectric metasurfaces. We discuss techniques to realize all-dielectric metasurfaces for multifunctional applications and generation of second-order nonlinear processes from CMOS compatible materials.

Highlights

Nonlinear effects in electricity and magnetism have been recognized since Maxwell’s time
Free from phase-matching limitations and featuring a unique control over nonlinear fields, plasmonic metasurfaces have been employed to the fullest extent for the generation of high-harmonics, frequency mixing, and other nonlinear effects.[10,11,16,17,18,19,20,21,22]
In the case of four-wave mixing (FWM), when the two excitation wavelengths were chosen with two different high-order modes (HOMs) and when the near-field intensity overlap between those modes was about 80% within the disk, the FWM signals were found to be >30% lower in intensity compared to the third-harmonic generation (THG) of the individual pump wavelengths [Fig. 3(e)]

Summary

Introduction

Nonlinear effects in electricity and magnetism have been recognized since Maxwell’s time. Free from phase-matching limitations and featuring a unique control over nonlinear fields, plasmonic metasurfaces have been employed to the fullest extent for the generation of high-harmonics, frequency mixing, and other nonlinear effects.[10,11,16,17,18,19,20,21,22] In the case of nonlinear plasmonics, the efficiency of the nonlinear optical processes is determined by the quality of the phase matching between the interacting optical beams and by the degree of confinement and overlap between the optical near-field and the nonlinear optical structures with subwavelength features.[11,18,23,24,25] Plasmonic materials are most commonly made of metals at the nanoscale. For a detailed and complete survey, we refer readers to a well-known review paper on these topics.[16]

Multipolar Resonances in All-Dielectric Systems

Third-Order Nonlinear All-Dielectric Nanostructures and Metasurfaces

Second-Order Nonlinear All-Dielectric Nanostructures and Metasurfaces

All-Dielectric Ultrafast Optical Switching

Findings

Summary and Outlook