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Localized Surface Phonon Polaritons and Infrared Optical Absorption of ScAlN Nanoresonators
Huanhuan Zhao1, Tao Cheng2, Xinlei Duan2
1School of Nuclear Science, Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 28, 2025
Summary
Alloying aluminum nitride (AlN) with scandium nitride (ScN) tunes its optical properties by altering surface phonon polaritons. Increased scandium (Sc) doping reduces phonon frequencies, impacting light-matter interactions in ScAlN nanophotonics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Nanophotonics
Background:
- Scandium aluminum nitride (ScAlN) alloys show promise for 5G, surface acoustic wave devices, and nanophotonics.
- Sc doping significantly affects AlN's phonons and infrared dielectric functions, but its impact on surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of Sc incorporation on phonon dispersion, SPhP propagation and localization, and radiative properties of ScAlN nanoresonators.
- To understand how Sc doping modulates the optical characteristics of ScAlN for nanophotonic applications.
Main Methods:
- First-principles calculations.
- Finite element method (FEM) simulations.
Main Results:
- Increasing Sc doping reduces highest optical phonon frequencies, correlated with lattice parameter expansion.
- Photon-phonon coupling strength decreases, leading to reduced infrared absorption peaks.
- SPhP propagation length diminishes, and localized resonance modes vanish at higher Sc concentrations.
Conclusions:
- Sc doping offers a method to tune the spectral properties of ScAlN nanoresonators.
- This research provides physical insights into ScAlN nanophotonics, aiding device design and application.
