Plasma-Etched Black GaAs Nanoarrays with Gradient Refractive Index Profile for Broadband, Omnidirectional, and Polarization-Independent Antireflection

Abstract

Black GaAs nanotip arrays (NTs) with 3300 nm lengths were fabricated via self-masked plasma etching. We show, both experimentally and numerically, that these NTs, with three gradient refractive index layers, effectively suppress Fresnel reflections at the air–GaAs interface over a broad range of wavelengths. These NTs exhibit exceptional UV-Vis light absorption (up to 99%) and maintain high NIR absorption (33–60%) compared to bare GaAs. Moreover, possessing a graded layer with a low refractive index (n = 1.01 to 1.12), they achieve angular and polarization-independent antireflection properties exceeding 80° at 632.8 nm, aligning with perfect antireflective coating theory predictions. This approach is anticipated to enhance the performance of optoelectronic devices across a wide range of applications.