Hole-Based Stealthy Hyperuniform Semiconductor Metamaterials for the Mid-Infrared

TL;DR

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a hole-based stealthy hyperuniform metamaterial that exhibits a sizable infrared photonic band gap and spatial isotropy, promising for mid-infrared optical applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hole-based stealthy hyperuniform structure with demonstrated infrared band gap and isotropic optical properties, advancing metamaterials for mid-infrared technologies.

Findings

Infrared band gap with 9.8% gap-midgap ratio at 12.0 μm

Spatial isotropy confirmed by unchanged reflection spectra at various angles

Successful fabrication and characterization of the hyperuniform structure

Abstract

Stealthy hyperuniform heterostructures are a novel type of metamaterial with the potential for optical image processing at angles away from normal incidence. These metamaterials show analogous properties to photonic crystals while circumventing the spatial anisotropy often hindering the latter's use. In this paper, we have successfully designed, fabricated, and characterized a hole-based stealthy hyperuniform structure on a quantum cascade layer substrate. The infrared spectral data reveal a sizable gap-midgap ratio of 9.8% for a photonic band gap around $12.0 ~\mu m$ in the form of an enhanced reflection region for increasing incidence angles. The stealthy hyperuniform metamaterial also showed spatial isotropy by its unchanging reflection spectrum for all in-plane rotational angle measurements.