Leonid Gilburd

Mid-infrared Polaritonic Coupling between Boron Nitride Nanotubes and Graphene

Boron nitride (BN) is considered to be a promising substrate for graphene-based devices in part because its large band gap can serve to insulate graphene in layered heterostructures. At mid-infrared frequencies, graphene supports surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), whereas hexagonal-BN (h-BN) is found to support surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs). We report on the observation of infrared polaritonic coupling between graphene SPPs and boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) SPhPs. Infrared scattering type scanning near-field optical microscopy is used to obtain spatial distribution of the two types of polaritons at the nanoscale. The observation suggests that those polaritons interact at the nanoscale in a one-dimensional/two-dimensional (1D/2D) geometry, exchanging energy in a nonplanar configuration at the nanoscale. Control of the polaritonic interaction is achieved by adjustment of the graphene Fermi level through voltage gating. Our observation suggests that boron nitride nanotubes and graphene can interact at mid-infrared frequencies and coherently exchange their energies at the nanoscale through the overlap of mutual electric near field of surface phonon polaritons and surface plasmon polaritons. Such interaction enables the design of nano-optical devices based on BNNT-graphene polaritonics in the mid-infrared range.

Phase stabilized homodyne of infrared scattering type scanning near-field optical microscopy

Scattering type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) allows sub diffraction limited spatial resolution. Interferometric homodyne detection in s-SNOM can amplify the signal and extract vibrational responses based on sample absorption. A stable reference phase is required for a high quality homodyne-detected near-field signal. This work presents the development of a phase stabilization mechanism for s-SNOM to provide stable homodyne conditions. The phase stability is found to be better than 0.05 rad for the mid infrared light source. Phase stabilization results in improved near field images and vibrational spectroscopies. Spatial inhomogeneities of the boron nitride nanotubes are measured and compared.

Near-Field Infrared Pump-Probe Imaging of Surface Phonon Coupling in Boron Nitride Nanotubes.

Surface phonon modes are lattice vibrational modes of a solid surface. Two common surface modes, called longitudinal and transverse optical modes, exhibit lattice vibration along or perpendicular to the direction of the wave. We report a two-color, infrared pump-infrared probe technique based on scattering type near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to spatially resolve coupling between surface phonon modes. Spatially varying couplings between the longitudinal optical and surface phonon polariton modes of boron nitride nanotubes are observed, and a simple model is proposed.

Mid-infrared surface phonon polaritons in boron-nitride nanotubes

Boron-nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are structural analogs of carbon nanotubes formed from hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) sheets. h-BN exhibits strong phonon resonances which result in a negative permittivity band in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Recently, we have experimentally demonstrated that BNNTs can support one-dimensional surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) in the mid-IR. In this work, we thoroughly study the modal characteristics of the SPhP modes of BNNTs with respect to their structural attributes, such as diameter, hollowness, and ellipticity, as well as dispersion as a function of frequency. As is discussed in detail throughout the paper, the SPhP modes of BNNTs offer deep-subwavelength field confinement and large field enhancement and provide a viable means for nanophotonics, near-field optics, and thermo-optics at mid-IR wavelengths.

Hexagonal Boron Nitride Self-Launches Hyperbolic Phonon Polaritons

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a 2D material that supports traveling waves composed of material vibrations and light, and is attractive for nanoscale optical devices that function in the infrared. However, the only current method of launching these traveling waves requires the use of a metal nanostructure. Here, we show that the polaritonic waves can be launched into the 2D structure by folds within hBN, alone, taking advantage of the intrinsic material properties. Our findings suggest that structural continuity between the fold and hBN crystal is crucial for creating self-launched waves with a constant phase front. This approach offers a single material system to excite the polaritonic modes, and the approach is applicable to a broad range of 2D crystals and thus could be useful in future characterization.

The Effect of Adjacent Materials on the Propagation of Phonon Polaritons in Hexagonal Boron Nitride

In order to apply the ability of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to confine energy in the form of hyperbolic phonon polariton (HPhP) modes in photonic-electronic devices, approaches to finely control and leverage the sensitivity of these propagating waves must be investigated. Here, we show that by surrounding hBN with materials of lower/higher dielectric responses, such as air and silicon, lower/higher surface momenta of HPhPs can be achieved. Furthermore, an alternative method for preparing thin hBN crystals with minimum contamination is presented, which provides opportunities to study the sensitivity of the damping mechanism of HPhPs on adsorbed materials. Infrared scanning near-field optical microscopy (IR-SNOM) results suggest that the reflections at the upper and lower hBN interfaces are primary causes of the damping of HPhPs, and that the damping coefficients of propagating waves are highly sensitive to adjacent layers, suggesting opportunities for sensor applications.

Optical hot-spots in boron-nitride nanotubes at mid infrared frequencies: one-dimensional localization due to random-scattering

We report experimental observations of optical hot-spots associated with surface phonon polaritons in boron nitride nanotubes. As revealed by near-field optical microscopy, the hot-spots have mode volumes as small as ≃2.7×10-6λ03 (λ0 is the wavelength of the exciting light in vacuum), which are in the deep subwavelength regime. Such strong light-trapping leads to ultrahigh field enhancement with a Purcell factor of ≃1.8 × 106. Remarkably, the hot-spots are not induced by designed structures, but by random scatterings with the rough gold substrate. The ultrahigh field enhancement can be used to improve nonlinear infrared spectroscopy, thermal emitters and detectors, and label-free molecule sensing at nanoscales.