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Broadband circular polarizers constructed using helix-like chiral metamaterials
Ruonan Ji1, Shao-Wei Wang2, Xingxing Liu1
1National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China. wangshw@mail.sitp.ac.cn and Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Energy-saving Coatings, Shanghai 200083, China and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Nanoscale
|June 30, 2016
Summary
This study introduces a novel helix-like chiral metamaterial for broadband bianisotropic optical responses. This metamaterial shows potential for creating advanced circular polarizers for optical applications.
Area of Science:
- Metamaterials
- Chiral optics
- Nanophotonics
Background:
- Chiral metamaterials offer unique optical properties but often lack broadband performance.
- Existing designs struggle with scalability and integration into compact devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a helix-like chiral metamaterial with broadband bianisotropic optical response.
- To investigate the potential of this structure for advanced polarization optics.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing conventional lithography or electron beam lithography for fabrication.
- Tailoring the relative orientation of arcs within the lattice to induce magneto-electric coupling.
- Connecting adjacent arcs to enhance coupling and achieve three-dimensional inclusion interactions.
Main Results:
- Achieved a broadband bianisotropic optical response in the wavelength range of 4.69 μm to 8.98 μm.
- Demonstrated a maximum extinction ratio of 19.7 and an average extinction ratio of 6.9.
- Obtained transmittance above 0.8 for selective polarization across the entire operational band.
Conclusions:
- The proposed helix-like chiral metamaterial exhibits significant potential for broadband circular polarizers.
- The structure is suitable for scalable integration, particularly for broadband circular micropolarizers in focal plane polarimeters.
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