Polarization dependent structural colors from tilted metalo-dielectric nanopillars

Abstract

The structural color from self-assembled metalo-dielectric (In/InP) nanopillars is shown to be polarization sensitive when the axial symmetry is broken. The characteristic dip in the reflection spectra due to resonant absorption is shifted by 90 nm as the polarization of incident light is altered from TE to TM at an incidence angle of 40°. We also show wafer-scale, mask-less fabrication of pillars that are tilted with respect to the substrate, a fast and cost effective method of creating the asymmetrical structures required for polarization sensitivity at normal incidence. A dip shift of 100 nm is observed for 40° tilted nanopillars of average height 380 nm, resulting in a smooth range of colors with changing polarization. FDTD simulations confirm the polarization dependent dip-shift in the resonant absorption wavelength. Furthermore, the field and intensity profiles obtained from the simulations indicate that the resonant absorption dips are due to HE1m-like modal excitations and their shift with respect to the incident angle and polarization leads to the change in perceived color from the tilted nanopillar system.