Manipulating Bloch surface waves in 2D: a platform concept-based flat lens (original) (raw)

Guided Bloch Surface Waves on Ultrathin Polymeric Ridges

Nano Letters, 2010

We present a direct evidence of Bloch surface waves (BSWs) waveguiding on ultrathin polymeric ridges, supported by near-field measurements. It is demonstrated that near-infrared BSWs sustained by a silicon-based multilayer can be locally coupled and guided through dielectric ridges of nanometric thickness with low propagation losses. Using a conventional prism-based configuration, we demonstrate a wavelength-selective BSW coupling inside and outside the ridge. Such a result can open interesting opportunities in surface wave-mediated sensing applications, where light could be selectively coupled in specific regions defined by nanometric reliefs.

In-plane 2D focusing of surface waves by ultrathin refractive structures

Optics Letters, 2014

In an attempt to provide a fully dielectric platform for two-dimensional optical circuitry, we report on the focusing features of an ultrathin polymeric lens fabricated on a planar multilayer. The radiation coupled to surface modes sustained by the multilayer can be focused or waveguide-injected into linear ridges by exploiting a dielectricloading mechanism successfully exploited for plasmons. The low losses of this photonic system also allow long propagation lengths in the visible spectral range. Experimental observations made by fluorescence imaging of the multilayer surface are well supported by computational data obtained through an effective index approach.

Two-dimensional optics on silicon nitride multilayer: Refraction of Bloch surface waves

Applied Physics Letters, 2010

When properly designed, a dielectric multilayer can sustain Bloch surface waves ͑BSWs͒. Using a multiheterodyne scanning near-field optical microscope that resolves phase and polarization, we will show that a thin dielectric structure deposited on the multilayer deflects the BSW propagation according to Snell's law. Moreover, the mechanism involved in this process is a transfer of energy from the BSW state in the bare multilayer to the new BSW state generated by the presence of the thin dielectric structure. No relevant radiative counterpart occurs. This characteristic validates the treatment of BSWs at the surface of dielectric multilayers as a two-dimensional phenomenon.

Bloch surface waves confined in one dimension with a single polymeric nanofibre

Nature communications, 2017

Polymeric fibres with small radii (such as ≤125 nm) are delicate to handle and should be laid down on a solid substrate to obtain practical devices. However, placing these nanofibres on commonly used glass substrates prevents them from guiding light. In this study, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate that when the nanofibre is placed on a suitable dielectric multilayer, it supports a guided mode, a Bloch surface wave (BSW) confined in one dimension. The physical origin of this new mode is discussed in comparison with the typical two-dimensional BSW mode. Polymeric nanofibres are easily fabricated to contain fluorophores, which make the dielectric nanofibre and multilayer configuration suitable for developing a large range of new nanometric scale devices, such as processor-memory interconnections, devices with sensitivity to target analytes, incident polarization and multi-colour BSW modes.

Near-field probing of Bloch surface waves in a dielectric multilayer using photonic force microscopy

Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 2016

The potential of photonic force microscopy (PFM) for probing the optical near-field in the vicinity of a dielectric multilayer is demonstrated. An experimental study of Bloch surface waves (BSWs) using PFM is described in detail. The applied technique is based on measuring the BSW-induced gradient force acting on a probe particle combined with precise control of the distance between the particle and the multilayer surface. The BSW-induced potential profile measured using PFM is presented. The force interaction between the probe and the BSW evanescent field is numerically studied. The results indicate that a polystyrene particle with a diameter of 1 μm does not significantly perturb the BSW field and can be used to probe the optical near-field intensity in an elegant, noninvasive manner.

Spectral tuning of Bloch Surface Wave resonances by light-controlled optical anisotropy

Nanophotonics

Fostered by the recent advancements in photonic technologies, the need for all-optical dynamic control on complex photonic elements is emerging as more and more relevant, especially in integrated photonics and metasurface-based flat-optics. In this framework, optically-induced anisotropy has been proposed as powerful mean enabling tuning functionalities in several planar architectures. Here, we design and fabricate an anisotropic two-dimensional bull’s eye cavity inscribed within an optically-active polymeric film spun on a one-dimensional photonic crystal sustaining Bloch surface waves (BSW). Thanks to the cavity morphology, two surface resonant modes with substantially orthogonal polarizations can be coupled within the cavity from free-space illumination. We demonstrate that a dynamic control on the resonant mode energies can be easily operated by modulating the orientation of the optically-induced birefringence on the surface, via a polarized external laser beam. Overall, reversi...

Diffraction-Free Bloch Surface Waves

ACS nano, 2017

Here, we demonstrate a diffraction-free Bloch surface wave sustained on all-dielectric multilayers that does not diffract after being passed through three obstacles or across a single mode fiber. It can propagate in a straight line for distances longer than 110 μm at a wavelength of 633 nm and could be applied as an in-plane optical virtual probe both in air and in an aqueous environment. Its ability to be used in water, its long diffraction-free distance, and its tolerance to multiple obstacles make this wave ideal for certain applications in areas such as the biological sciences, where many measurements are made on glass surfaces or for which an aqueous environment is required, and for high-speed interconnections between chips, where low loss is necessary.

Demonstration of diffraction enhancement via Bloch surface waves in a-SiN:H multilayers

Applied Physics Letters, 2009

By exploiting the excitation of a Bloch surface wave at a wavelength = 670 nm, we observe a diffraction enhancement of more than 45 times from a rabbit IgG protein grating printed on a-SiN:H multilayers. Our results demonstrate that the use of surface states in dielectric multilayers is very promising for the realization of the next generation of diffraction-based biosensors.