Objects in nature consist of atoms and molecules that are arranged in specific patterns dictated by the laws of physics and chemistry. Those patterns determine the electromagnetic properties of the material in question, and in turn how they influence electromagnetic waves. By designing arrangements of shapes with features that are smaller than a given wavelength, so called metamaterials can be developed in such a way that they have properties, which do not exist in nature. At ITO we focus our investigations on so called super lenses, which have unprecedented imaging and magnification abilities.
The key to understanding the underlying physical principles of the imaging properties of metamaterial structures is the simulation of resonant interactions between excited surface waves (surface plasmon polaritons) and the electromagnetic field. Particularly suitable are rigorous methods like the RCWA (Rigorous Coupled Wave Algorithm) which is utilized in Microsim, a software that was developed at our institute. Due to the complex calculation algorithms, convergence enhancements play a major role in terms of computation time reduction (especially for structures comprised of metal). Furthermore, we're operating a Helios NanoLab DualBeam of FEI, which allows us to manufacture the designed nanostructures ourselves.
Finished Projects
- DFG Superlinse
Publications
- S. Maisch, P. Schau, K. Frenner, W. Osten, "About the feasibility of nearfield-farfield transformers based on optical metamaterials" in Fringe 2009: 6th International Workshop on Advanced Optical Metrology (2009), 375–383.
- P. Schau, K. Frenner, L. Fu, H. Schweizer, W. Osten, "Coupling between surface plasmons and Fabry-Pérot modes in metallic double meander structures" in Proc. SPIE 7711 (2010), 77111F
- L. Fu, H. Schweizer, T. Weiss, P. Schau, K. Frenner, W. Osten, H. Giessen, D. N. Chigrin, "Mode hybridization and interaction in a metallic meander Fabry-Pérot cavity" in AIP Conf. Proc. 1291 (2010), Vol. 1291, 115–117.
- P. Schau, K. Frenner, L. Fu, H. Schweizer, H. Giessen, W. Osten, "Rigorous modeling of meander-type metamaterials for sub-lambda imaging" in Proc. SPIE 8083 (2011), 808303
- H. Schweizer, L. Fu, N. Liu, T. Weiss, P. Schau, K. Frenner, W. Osten, H. Giessen, "The promise of metamaterials for new applications in optics" in Proc. SPIE 8083 (2011), 808302
- P. Schau, K. Frenner, L. Fu, W. Osten, H. Schweizer, H. Giessen, "Sub-wavelength imaging using stacks of metallic meander structures with different periodicities" in Proc. SPIE 8093 (2011), 80931K
- L. Fu, P. Schau, K. Frenner, W. Osten, T. Weiss, H. Schweizer, H. Giessen, "Mode coupling and interaction in a plasmonic microcavity with resonant mirrors", Phys. Rev. B 84, 1–6 (2011)
- L. M. Gaspar Venancio, S. Hannemann, G. Lubkowski, M. Suhrke, H. Schweizer, L. Fu, H. Giessen, P. Schau, K. Frenner, W. Osten, "Metamaterials for optical and photonic applications for space: preliminary results" in Proc. SPIE 8146, (2011), 81460E
- P. Schau, K. Frenner, L. Fu, H. Schweizer, H. Giessen, W. Osten, "Design of high-transmission metallic meander stacks with different grating periodicities for subwavelength-imaging applications", Opt. Express 19, 3627–3636 (2011)
- P. Schau, L. Fu, K. Frenner, M. Schäferling, H. Schweizer, H. Giessen, L. M. G. Venancio, W. Osten, "Polarization scramblers with plasmonic meander-type metamaterials", Opt. Express 20, 22700 (2012)
- P. Schau, L. Fu, K. Frenner, H. Schweizer, M. Schäferling, T. Weiss, H. Giessen, L. M. Gaspar Venancio, S. Hannemann, W. Osten, "Polarization scrambling with metallic meander structures for space applications" in Proc. SPIE 8423, (2012), 842314
- L. Fu, P. Schau, K. Frenner, H. Schweizer, J. Zhao, B. Frank, L. Wollet, P. Gaiser, B. Gompf, H. Giessen, W. Osten, "Experimental demonstration of dispersion engineering through mode interactions in plasmonic microcavities" in Proc. SPIE 8423 (2012), p. 84232I
- H. Schweizer, L. Fu, M. Hentschel, T. Weiss, C. Bauer, P. Schau, K. Frenner, W. Osten, H. Giessen, "Resonant multimeander-metasurfaces: A model system for superlenses and communication devices", Phys. status solidi 249, 1415–1421 (2012)