Random access actuation of nanowire grid metamaterial

Cencillo-Abad, P., Ou, J.-Y., Plum, E., Valente, J. and Zheludev, N. I. (2016) Random access actuation of nanowire grid metamaterial. Nanotechnology, 27(48), 485206. (doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/27/48/485206) (PMID:27811391)

Abstract

While metamaterials offer engineered static optical properties, future artificial media with dynamic random-access control over shape and position of meta-molecules will provide arbitrary control of light propagation. The simplest example of such a reconfigurable metamaterial is a nanowire grid metasurface with subwavelength wire spacing. Recently we demonstrated computationally that such a metadevice with individually controlled wire positions could be used as dynamic diffraction grating, beam steering module and tunable focusing element. Here we report on the nanomembrane realization of such a nanowire grid metasurface constructed from individually addressable plasmonic chevron nanowires with a 230 nm × 100 nm cross-section, which consist of gold and silicon nitride. The active structure of the metadevice consists of 15 nanowires each 18 μm long and is fabricated by a combination of electron beam lithography and ion beam milling. It is packaged as a microchip device where the nanowires can be individually actuated by control currents via differential thermal expansion.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Valente, Dr Joao
• Authors: Cencillo-Abad, P., Ou, J.-Y., Plum, E., Valente, J., and Zheludev, N. I.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: Nanotechnology
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• ISSN: 0957-4484
• ISSN (Online): 1361-6528
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.
• First Published: First published in Nanotechnology 48:485206
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License