Seunghwa Baek

Broadband electromagnetic cloaking with smart metamaterials

The ability to render objects invisible with a cloak that fits all objects and sizes is a long-standing goal for optical devices. Invisibility devices demonstrated so far typically comprise a rigid structure wrapped around an object to which it is fitted. Here we demonstrate smart metamaterial cloaking, wherein the metamaterial device not only transforms electromagnetic fields to make an object invisible, but also acquires its properties automatically from its own elastic deformation. The demonstrated device is a ground-plane microwave cloak composed of an elastic metamaterial with a broad operational band (10-12 GHz) and nearly lossless electromagnetic properties. The metamaterial is uniform, or perfectly periodic, in its undeformed state and acquires the necessary gradient-index profile, mimicking a quasi-conformal transformation, naturally from a boundary load. This easy-to-fabricate hybrid elasto-electromagnetic metamaterial opens the door to implementations of a variety of transformation optics devices based on quasi-conformal maps.

Broadband Optical Antireflection Enhancement by Integrating Antireflective Nanoislands with Silicon Nanoconical‐Frustum Arrays

Based on conventional colloidal nanosphere lithography, we experimentally demonstrate novel graded-index nanostructures for broadband optical antireflection enhancement including the near-ultraviolet (NUV) region by integrating residual polystyrene antireflective (AR) nanoislands coating arrays with silicon nano-conical-frustum arrays. This is a feasible optimized integration method of two major approaches for antireflective surfaces: quarter-wavelength AR coating and biomimetic moths eye structure.

Broadband light-trapping enhancement in an ultrathin film a-si absorber using whispering gallery modes and guided wave modes with dielectric surface-textured structures

An embedded nanosphere dielectric structure on an a-Si ultrathin film improves weighted absorption from 23.8% to 39.9%. The PMMA embedding layer offers a guided wave mode as well as mechanical robustness, in addition to the resonant whispering gallery modes coupling. Broadband light-trapping enhancements are observed by dielectric surface textured structures of hemispheres, nanocones, nanospheres, or embedded nanospheres.

Improvement of Light Extraction Efficiency in Flip-Chip Light Emitting Diodes on SiC Substrate via Transparent Haze Films with Morphology-Controlled Collapsed Alumina Nanorods

We demonstrate GaN-based flip-chip light emitting diodes (FC-LEDs) on SiC substrate achieving high extraction efficiency by simply attaching the optically transparent haze films consisting of collapsed alumina nanorods. Through controlled etching time of alumina nanorods, we obtain four types of films that have different morphologies with different optical transmittance and haze properties. We show that the light output power of the FC-LEDs with film, which has 95.6% transmittance and 62.7% haze, increases by 20.4% in comparison to the bare LEDs. The angular radiation pattern of the LEDs also follows the Lambertian emission pattern without deteriorating the electrical properties of the device. The improvement of light extraction is mainly attributed to the reduced total internal reflection (TIR) via efficient out-coupling of guided light from SiC substrate to air by collapsed alumina nanorod structures in the film. The high transparency of film and reduced Fresnel reflection via graded refractive index transition between the film and SiC substrate also contribute to the extraction enhancement of the device. We systematically investigate the influence of haze films geometrical or optical properties on the extraction efficiency of FC-LEDs, and this study will provide a novel approach to enhance the performance of various optoelectronic devices.

Scalable variable-index elasto-optic metamaterials for macroscopic optical components and devices

Optical metamaterials with an artificial subwavelength structure offer new approaches to implement advanced optical devices. However, some of the biggest challenges associated with the development of metamaterials in the visible spectrum are the high costs and slow production speeds of the nanofabrication processes. Here, we demonstrate a macroscale (>35 mm) transformation-optics wave bender (293 mm2) and Luneburg lens (855 mm2) in the broadband white-light visible wavelength range using the concept of elasto-optic metamaterials that combines optics and solid mechanics. Our metamaterials consist of mesoscopically homogeneous chunks of bulk aerogels with superior, broadband optical transparency across the visible spectrum and an adjustable, stress-tuneable refractive index ranging from 1.43 down to nearly the free space index (∼1.074). The experimental results show that broadband light can be controlled and redirected in a volume of >105λ × 105λ × 103λ, which enables natural light to be processed directly by metamaterial-based optical devices without any additional coupling components.

Resolution enhancement using plasmonic metamask for wafer-scale photolithography in the far field

Resolution enhancement in far-field photolithography is demonstrated using a plasmonic metamask in the proximity regime, in which Fresnel diffraction is dominant. The transverse magnetic component of the diffracted wave from the photomask, which reduces the pattern visibility and lowers the resolution, was successfully controlled by coupling with the anti-symmetric mode of the excited surface plasmon. We obtained a consistently finely-patterned photoresist surface at a distance of up to 15 μm from the mask surface for 3-μm-pitch slits because of conserved field visibility when propagating from the near-field to the proximity regime. We confirmed that sharp edge patterning is indeed possible when using a wafer-scale photomask in the proximity photolithography regime. Our plasmonic metamask method produces cost savings for ultra-large-scale high-density display fabrication by maintaining longer photomask lifetimes and by allowing sufficient tolerance for the distance between the photomask and the photoresist.

Large-scale nanoporous metal-coated silica aerogels for high SERS effect improvement

We investigate the optical properties and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) characteristics of metal-coated silica aerogels. Silica aerogels were fabricated by easily scalable sol-gel and supercritical drying processes. Metallic nanogaps were formed on the top surface of the nanoporous silica network by controlling the thickness of the metal layer. The optimized metallic nanogap structure enabled strong confinement of light inside the gaps, which is a suitable property for SERS effect. We experimentally evaluated the SERS enhancement factor with the use of benzenethiol as a probe molecule. The enhancement factor reached 7.9 × 107 when molecules were adsorbed on the surface of the 30 nm silver-coated aerogel. We also theoretically investigated the electric field distribution dependence on the structural geometry and substrate indices. On the basis of FDTD simulations, we concluded that the electric field was highly amplified in the vicinity of the target analyte owing to a combination of the aerogel’s ultralow refractive index and the high-density metallic nanogaps. The aerogel substrate with metallic nanogaps shows great potential for use as an inexpensive, highly sensitive SERS platform to detect environmental and biological target molecules.

Optical meta-films of alumina nanowire arrays for solar evaporation and optoelectronic devices (Conference Presentation)

Nanowires with metallic or dielectric materials have received considerable interest in many research fields for optical and optoelectronic devices. Metal nanowires have been extensively studied due to the high optical and electrical properties and dielectric nanowires are also investigated owing to the multiple scattering of light. In this research, we report optical meta-films of alumina nanowire arrays with nanometer scale diameters by fabrication method of self-aggregate process. The aluminum oxide nanowires are transparent from ultraviolet to near infrared wavelength regions and array structures have strong diffusive light scattering. We integrate those optical properties from the material and structure, and produce efficient an optical haze meta-film which has high transparency and transmission haze at the same time. The film enhances efficiencies of optical devices by applying on complete products, such as organic solar cells and LEDs, because of an expanded optical path length and light trapping in active layers maintaining high transparency. On the other hands, the meta-film also produces solar steam by sputtering metal on the aluminum oxide nanowire arrays. The nanowire array film with metal coating exhibits ultrabroadband light absorption from ultraviolet to mid-infrared range which is caused by nanofocusing of plasmons. The meta-film efficiently produces water steam under the solar light by metal-coated alumina arrays which have high light-to-heat conversion efficiency. The design, fabrication, and evaluation of our light management platforms and their applications of the meta-films will be introduced.

Highly scattering layer for efficient LED light extraction (Conference Presentation)

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are used to very diverse fields because of their high efficiency and long life time. Especially, GaN-based LEDs has good properties such as high power and electrical stability, so it can be used for light source in many devices. However, because of large difference of refractive index between SiC substrate of LEDs and air, Fresnel reflection loss and Total internal reflection loss are occurred. For that reason, light extraction efficiency of LEDs is very low. In this study, we fabricate Alumina based scattering film and show light extraction efficiency of LEDs can be enhanced through attaching scattering film on SiC substrate. Alumina nanowires were fabricated by wet etching process of porous alumina layer. Nanowires were collapsed randomly by capillary force of water during drying process forming microscale ridges. This scattering film has extremely high transmittance and scattering value which is determined by etching time. The effective refractive index of the film lies between the refractive index of SiC and air. So attached scattering film on SiC substrate of LEDs creates gradually varying index distribution reducing Fresnel reflection loss. Microscale ridges of scattering film play as light scatterers, and incidence light scattered in all direction reducing incident angle dependence so they can reduce total internal reflection loss. Light extraction efficiency of scattering film attached LED is about 20% higher than bare LED.