Serkan Butun

Enhanced Light Emission from Large-Area Monolayer MoS2 Using Plasmonic Nanodisc Arrays

Single-layer direct band gap semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenides are quite attractive for a wide range of electronics, photonics, and optoelectronics applications. Their monolayer thickness provides significant advantages in many applications such as field-effect transistors for high-performance electronics, sensor/detector applications, and flexible electronics. However, for optoelectronics and photonics applications, inherent monolayer thickness poses a significant challenge for the interaction of light with the material, which therefore results in poor light emission and absorption behavior. Here, we demonstrate enhanced light emission from large-area monolayer MoS2 using plasmonic silver nanodisc arrays, where enhanced photoluminescence up to 12-times has been measured. Observed phenomena stem from the fact that plasmonic resonance couples to both excitation and emission fields and thus boosts the light-matter interaction at the nanoscale. Reported results allow us to engineer light-matter interactions in two-dimensional materials and could enable highly efficient photodetectors, sensors, and photovoltaic devices, where photon absorption and emission efficiency highly dictate the device performance.

Visible-frequency metasurfaces for broadband anomalous reflection and high-efficiency spectrum splitting.

Ultrathin metasurfaces have recently emerged as promising materials that have huge potential to enable novel, flat optical components, and surface-confined, miniature photonic devices. Metasurfaces offer new degrees of freedom in molding the optical wavefronts by introducing abrupt and drastic changes in the amplitude, phase, and/or polarization of electromagnetic radiation at the wavelength scale. By carefully arranging multiple subwavelength anisotropic or gradient optical resonators, metasurfaces have been shown to enable anomalous transmission, anomalous reflection, optical holograms, and spin-orbit interaction. However, experimental realization of high-performance metasurfaces that can operate at visible frequency range has been a significant challenge due to high optical losses of plasmonic materials and difficulties in fabricating several plasmonic resonators of subwavelength size with high uniformity. Here, we propose a highly efficient yet a simple metasurface design comprising of a single, anisotropic silver antenna in its unit cell. We demonstrate broadband (450-850 nm) anomalous reflection and spectrum splitting at visible and near-IR frequencies with high conversion efficiency. Average power ratio of anomalous reflection to the strongest diffraction mode was calculated to be on the order of 10(3) and measured to be on the order of 10. The anomalous reflected photons have been visualized using a charge-coupled device camera, and broadband spectrum splitting performance has been confirmed experimentally using a free space, angle-resolved reflection measurement setup. Metasurface design proposed in this study is a clear departure from conventional metasurfaces utilizing multiple, anisotropic and/or gradient optical resonators and could enable high-efficiency, broadband metasurfaces for achieving flat high signal-to-noise ratio optical spectrometers, polarization beam splitters, directional emitters, and spectrum splitting surfaces for photovoltaics.

Leakage current by Frenkel–Poole emission in Ni/Au Schottky contacts on Al0.83In0.17N/AlN/GaN heterostructures

In order to determine the reverse-bias leakage current mechanisms in Schottky diodes on Al0.83In0.17N/AlN/GaN heterostructures, the temperature-dependent current-voltage measurements were performed in the temperature range of 250–375 K. In this temperature range, the leakage current was found to be in agreement with the predicted characteristics, which is based on the Frenkel–Poole emission model. The analysis of the reverse current-voltage characteristics dictates that the main process in leakage current flow is the emission of electrons from a trapped state near the metal-semiconductor interface into a continuum of states which associated with each conductive dislocation.

Strong Coupling between Plasmonic Gap Modes and Photonic Lattice Modes in DNA-Assembled Gold Nanocube Arrays.

Control of both photonic and plasmonic coupling in a single optical device represents a challenge due to the distinct length scales that must be manipulated. Here, we show that optical metasurfaces with such control can be constructed using an approach that combines top-down and bottom-up processes, wherein gold nanocubes are assembled into ordered arrays via DNA hybridization events onto a gold film decorated with DNA-binding regions defined using electron beam lithography. This approach enables one to systematically tune three critical architectural parameters: (1) anisotropic metal nanoparticle shape and size, (2) the distance between nanoparticles and a metal surface, and (3) the symmetry and spacing of particles. Importantly, these parameters allow for the independent control of two distinct optical modes, a gap mode between the particle and the surface and a lattice mode that originates from cooperative scattering of many particles in an array. Through reflectivity spectroscopy and finite-difference time-domain simulation, we find that these modes can be brought into resonance and coupled strongly. The high degree of synthetic control enables the systematic study of this coupling with respect to geometry, lattice symmetry, and particle shape, which together serve as a compelling example of how nanoparticle-based optics can be useful to realize advanced nanophotonic structures that hold implications for sensing, quantum plasmonics, and tunable absorbers.

Electron beam lithography designed silver nano-disks used as label free nano-biosensors based on localized surface plasmon resonance.

We present a label-free, optical nano-biosensor based on the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) that is observed at the metal-dielectric interface of silver nano-disk arrays located periodically on a sapphire substrate by Electron-Beam Lithography (EBL). The nano-disk array was designed by finite-difference and time-domain (FDTD) algorithm-based simulations. Refractive index sensitivity was calculated experimentally as 221-354 nm/RIU for different sized arrays. The sensing mechanism was first tested with a biotin-avidin pair, and then a preliminary trial for sensing heat-killed Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 bacteria was done. Although the study is at an early stage, the results indicate that such a plasmonic structure can be applied to bio-sensing applications and then extended to the detection of specific bacteria species as a fast and low cost alternative.

Omnidirectional, broadband light absorption using large-area, ultrathin lossy metallic film coatings

Resonant absorbers based on nanostructured materials are promising for variety of applications including optical filters, thermophotovoltaics, thermal emitters, and hot-electron collection. One of the significant challenges for such micro/nanoscale featured medium or surface, however, is costly lithographic processes for structural patterning which restricted from industrial production of complex designs. Here, we demonstrate lithography-free, broadband, polarization-independent optical absorbers based on a three-layer ultrathin film composed of subwavelength chromium (Cr) and oxide film coatings. We have measured almost perfect absorption as high as 99.5% across the entire visible regime and beyond (400–800 nm). In addition to near-ideal absorption, our absorbers exhibit omnidirectional independence for incidence angle over ±60 degrees. Broadband absorbers introduced in this study perform better than nanostructured plasmonic absorber counterparts in terms of bandwidth, polarization and angle independence. Improvements of such “blackbody” samples based on uniform thin-film coatings is attributed to extremely low quality factor of asymmetric highly-lossy Fabry-Perot cavities. Such broadband absorber designs are ultrathin compared to carbon nanotube based black materials, and does not require lithographic processes. This demonstration redirects the broadband super absorber design to extreme simplicity, higher performance and cost effective manufacturing convenience for practical industrial production.

Structurally tunable resonant absorption bands in ultrathin broadband plasmonic absorbers.

Light absorption is a fundamental optical process playing significantly important role in wide variety of applications ranging from photovoltaics to photothermal therapy. Semiconductors have well-defined absorption bands with low-energy edge dictated by the band gap energy, therefore it is rather challenging to tune the absorption bandwidth of semiconductors. However, resonant absorbers based on plasmonic nanostructures and optical metamaterials emerged as alternative light absorbers due to spectrally selective absorption bands resulting from optical resonances. Recently, a broadband plasmonic absorber design was introduced by Aydin et al. with a reasonably high broadband absorption. Based on that design, here, structurally tunable, broadband absorbers with improved performance are demonstrated. This broadband absorber has a total thickness of 190 nm with 80% average measured absorption (90% simulated absorption) over the entire visible spectrum (400 - 700 nm). Moreover, the effect of the metal and the oxide thicknesses on the absorption spectra are investigated and results indicate that the shorter and the longer band-edge of broadband absorption can be structurally tuned with the metal and the oxide thicknesses, as well as with the resonator size. Detailed numerical simulations shed light on the type of optical resonances that contribute to the broadband absorption response and provide a design guideline for realizing plasmonic absorbers with structurally tunable bandwidths.

Reduced near-infrared absorption using ultra-thin lossy metals in Fabry-Perot cavities

We show that a triple-layer metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure has spectrally selective IR absorption, while an ultra-thin metal film has non-selective absorption in the near infrared wavelengths. Both sub-wavelength scale structures were implemented with an ultra-thin 6 nm Cr top layer. MIM structure was demonstrated to have near perfect absorption at λ = 1.2 μm and suppressed absorption at λ = 1.8 μm in which experimental and simulated absorptions of the thin Cr film are even higher than the MIM. Occurrence of absorption peaks and dips in the MIM were explained with the electric field intensity localization as functions of both the wavelength and the position. It has been shown that the power absorption in the lossy material is a strong function of the electric field intensity i.e. the more the electric field intensity, the more the absorption and vice versa. Therefore, it is possible to engineer IR emissive properties of these ultra-thin nanocavities by controlling the electric field localization with proper designs.

Low dark current metal-semiconductor-metal photodiodes based on semi-insulating GaN

Metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors on semi-insulating GaN templates were demonstrated and compared with photodetectors fabricated on regular GaN templates. Samples were grown on a metal organic chemical vapor deposition system. Devices on semi-insulating template exhibited a dark current density of 1.96×10−10A∕cm2 at 50V bias, which is four orders of magnitude lower compared with devices on regular template. Device responsivities were 101.80 and 88.63A∕W at 50V bias for 360nm ultraviolet illumination for semi-insulating and regular templates, respectively. Incident power as low as 3pW was detectable using the devices that were fabricated on the semi-insulating template.

Electrical characterization of MS and MIS structures on AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

The forward and reverse bias I–V, C–V, and G/x–V characteristics of (Ni/Au) Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) on the Al0.22Ga0.78N/AlN/GaN high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMTs) without and with SiNx insulator layer were measured at room temperature in order to investigate the effects of the insulator layer (SiNx) on the main electrical parameters such as the ideality factor (n), zero-bias barrier height (UB0), series resistance (Rs), interface-state density (Nss). The energy density distribution profiles of the Nss were obtained from the forward bias I–V characteristics by taking into account the voltage dependence of the effective barrier height (Ue) and ideality factor (nV) of devices. In addition, the Nss as a function of Ec–Ess was determined from the low-high frequency capacitance methods. It was found that the values of Nss and Rs in SBD HEMTs decreases with increasing insulator layer thickness.