Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Near-Unity Chiral Lasing Enabled by Quasi-Bound States in the Continuum.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

Reconfigurable, Temperature Resilient Phase-Change Metasurfaces Fabricated via High Throughput Nanoimprinting Lithography.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026
Same author

Fabrication-friendly all-optical plasmonically-enhanced integrated phase-change photonic memory device.

Optics express·2025
Same author

Dynamically reconfigurable 2D polarization-agnostic image edge-detection using nonvolatile phase-change metasurfaces.

Optics express·2025
Same author

Nonlocal phase-change metaoptics for reconfigurable nonvolatile image processing.

Light, science & applications·2025
Same author

Optical power-handling capabilities and temporal dynamics of reconfigurable phase-change metasurfaces.

Optics express·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Demonstration of Equal-Intensity Beam Generation by Dielectric Metasurfaces
09:33

Demonstration of Equal-Intensity Beam Generation by Dielectric Metasurfaces

Published on: June 7, 2019

6.5K

Enhanced Performance and Diffusion Robustness of Phase-Change Metasurfaces via a Hybrid Dielectric/Plasmonic

Joe Shields1, Carlota Ruiz de Galarreta1, Jacopo Bertolotti1

  • 1College of Engineering Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK.

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 6, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Active optical metasurfaces utilize phase-change materials for light control. This study demonstrates that incorporating ultrathin silicon nitride barrier layers prevents metal diffusion, preserving the performance of thermally tunable metasurfaces.

Keywords:
active metasurfacesgold diffusion in phase-change materialshybrid dielectric/plasmonic metasurfacesphase-change metasurfaces

More Related Videos

Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
10:54

Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters

Published on: July 8, 2013

15.1K
Demonstration of Spin-Multiplexed and Direction-Multiplexed All-Dielectric Visible Metaholograms
08:48

Demonstration of Spin-Multiplexed and Direction-Multiplexed All-Dielectric Visible Metaholograms

Published on: September 25, 2020

6.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Demonstration of Equal-Intensity Beam Generation by Dielectric Metasurfaces
09:33

Demonstration of Equal-Intensity Beam Generation by Dielectric Metasurfaces

Published on: June 7, 2019

6.5K
Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
10:54

Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters

Published on: July 8, 2013

15.1K
Demonstration of Spin-Multiplexed and Direction-Multiplexed All-Dielectric Visible Metaholograms
08:48

Demonstration of Spin-Multiplexed and Direction-Multiplexed All-Dielectric Visible Metaholograms

Published on: September 25, 2020

6.0K

Area of Science:

  • Nanophotonics and Metamaterials
  • Materials Science
  • Optical Engineering

Background:

  • Phase-change materials offer tunable refractive indices for active optical metasurfaces.
  • In situ electrical switching requires integrated resistive heaters and compatible metals.
  • Noble metals like gold and silver are desirable for their low plasmonic losses but prone to diffusion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of metal diffusion on the performance of chalcogenide phase-change metasurfaces.
  • To develop a strategy to mitigate diffusion and ensure the stability of active metasurface devices.
  • To introduce a hybrid dielectric/plasmonic metasurface architecture for active light control.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a hybrid metasurface with a germanium-antimony-tellurium (Ge₂Sb₂Te₅) layer within silicon nanoresonators on metallic planes.
  • Systematic study of metasurface performance with different bottom metal planes (gold vs. aluminum).
  • Inclusion of ultrathin silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) barrier layers to prevent diffusion.

Main Results:

  • Thermally activated diffusion of gold into Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ and silicon resonators catastrophically degraded optical performance.
  • Low-melting-point aluminum did not cause significant diffusion but exhibited higher optical losses.
  • Incorporation of Si₃N₄ barrier layers successfully prevented gold diffusion and preserved metasurface optical performance.

Conclusions:

  • Metal diffusion is a critical factor limiting the long-term stability and performance of thermally tunable phase-change metasurfaces.
  • Ultrathin Si₃N₄ barrier layers are an effective solution to prevent noble metal diffusion in such devices.
  • This work advances the development of robust and reliable active metasurface technology for practical applications.