Resonance-based nanophotonic device technology: Filters, reflectors, and absorbers

Abstract

We review nanophotonic device technology that is based on fundamental photonic resonance effects. We present the physics behind resonance device operation, illustrate their design with rigorous methods, discuss fabrication processes, and present results of physical and spectral characterization. We indicate the application potential of this field, discuss some past device examples, and provide new and emerging aspects. In particular, we present new wideband resonant reflectors designed with gratings in which the grating ridges are matched to an identical material thereby eliminating local reflections and phase changes. This critical interface therefore possesses zero refractive-index contrast; hence we call them “zero-contrast gratings.” For simple gratings with two-part periods, we show that zero-contrast grating reflectors outperform comparable high-contrast grating reflectors with nearly 700-nm bandwidth achieved at 99% reflectance. Resonance elements functioning as simultaneous spatial and spectral filters are introduced and substantiated with computed and experimental results that are in excellent agreement. Single-layer bandpass filters are presented and compared to their classic multilayer counterparts. An example bandpass filter with narrow transmission band fashioned with a single periodic layer compares in functionality with a classic Bragg stack with ∼30 layers. We discuss deep Si grating structures that efficiently absorb fully-hemispherical unpolarized light in the entire visible spectral domain. This absorber provides a broad spectral continuum of densely populated resonant photonic states as well as a cooperating wide-angular antireflection effect, resulting in broadband, omnidirectional, and polarization-insensitive light absorption. We experimentally verify the absorber performance with precise fabrication and conical input beam spectral analysis. The promise and limitations of this class of devices is discussed.