Abstract-Terahertz Spoof Surface Plasmonic Logic Gates

 

Mingrui Yuan, Qingwei Wang, Yanfeng Li, Yuehong Xu, Quan Xu, Xueqian Zhang, Xixiang Zhang, Jiaguang Han, Weili Zhang, 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004220308774

Logic gates are important components in integrated photonic circuitry. Here, a series of logic gates to achieve fundamental logic operations based on linear interference in spoof surface plasmon polariton waveguides are demonstrated at terahertz frequencies. A metasurface-based plasmonic source is adopted to couple free-space terahertz radiation into surface waves, followed by a funnel-shaped metasurface to efficiently couple the surface waves to the waveguides built on a domino structure. A single Mach-Zehnder waveguide interferometer can work as logic gates for four logic functions: AND, NOT, OR, and XOR. By cascading two such interferometers, NAND and NOR operations can also be achieved. Experimental investigations are supported by numerical simulations, and good agreement is obtained. The logic gates have compact sizes and high intensity contrasts for the output “1” and “0” states. More complicated functions can be envisioned and will be of great value for future terahertz integrated computing.

Abstract-Broadband terahertz rotator with an all-dielectric metasurface

Quanlong Yang, Xieyu Chen, Quan Xu, Chunxiu Tian, Yuehong Xu, Longqing Cong, Xueqian Zhang, Yanfeng Li, Caihong Zhang, Xixiang Zhang, Jiaguang Han, and Weili Zhang

Fig. 1. (a) Conceptual description of the metasurface based on two identical dielectric antennas to manipulate the polarization of the terahertz wave. 𝛼$\alpha$ and 𝛽$\beta$ represent the orientations of two dielectric antennas (marked by the orange arrows), and 𝛾$\gamma$ is the effective optical axis orientation from the superposition of two antennas (marked by the navy arrow). (b) Schematic illustration of the two silicon antennas with geometrical parameters 𝑊=45  μm$W=45\mathrm{\mu m}$, 𝐿=180  μm$L=180\mathrm{\mu m}$, 𝐻=200  μm$H=200\mathrm{\mu m}$, and period 𝑃=375  μm$P=375\mathrm{\mu m}$. (c),(d) Schematic diagrams for high-quality polarization generation. Without introducing the phase gradient, both the 𝑥$x$-polarized and 𝑦$y$-polarized light propagates in the normal direction forming dispersive polarization states within the frequency range of interest. The phase gradient enables spatial separation of the two orthogonal polarization components, giving rise to pure linearly polarized components within a broad frequency range.

https://www.osapublishing.org/prj/fulltext.cfm?uri=prj-6-11-1056&id=399205

Polarization manipulation is essential in developing cutting-edge photonic devices ranging from optical communication displays to solar energy harvesting. Most previous works for efficient polarization control cannot avoid utilizing metallic components that inevitably suffer from large ohmic loss and thus low operational efficiency. Replacing metallic components with Mie resonance-based dielectric resonators will largely suppress the ohmic loss toward high-efficiency metamaterial devices. Here, we propose an efficient approach for broadband, high-quality polarization rotation operating in transmission mode with all-dielectric metamaterials in the terahertz regime. By separating the orthogonal polarization components in space, we obtain rotated output waves with a conversion efficiency of 67.5%. The proposed polarization manipulation strategy shows impressive robustness and flexibility in designing metadevices of both linear- and circular-polarization incidences.

© 2018 Chinese Laser Press

Abstract-Near-field manipulation of terahertz surface waves by metasurfaces [Invited]

Quan Xu, Xueqian Zhang, Yuehong Xu, Chunmei Ouyang, Yanfeng Li, Jiaguang Han, Weili Zhang,

https://www.osapublishing.org/col/abstract.cfm?uri=col-16-5-050002

Surface waves (SWs) are a special form of electromagnetic waves that travel along the boundary between a metal and a dielectric. The special optical properties of SWs render them very attractive in applications, such as subdiffractional lithography, novel biochemical sensors, and ultrafast integrated circuitries. Herein, we present a review of our recent progress in excitation and manipulation of terahertz SWs due to interference or coupling between a pair of slit resonators in metasurfaces, showing the ability to devise ultrathin and compact plasmonic components.

© 2018 Chinese Laser Press

Abstract-Terahertz spoof surface-plasmon-polariton subwavelength waveguide

Ying Zhang, Yuehong Xu, Chunxiu Tian, Quan Xu, Xueqian Zhang, Yanfeng Li, Xixiang Zhang, Jiaguang Han, and Weili Zhang

https://www.osapublishing.org/prj/abstract.cfm?uri=prj-6-1-18&origin=search

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) with the features of subwavelength confinement and strong enhancements have sparked enormous interest. However, in the terahertz regime, due to the perfect conductivities of most metals, it is hard to realize the strong confinement of SPPs, even though the propagation loss could be sufficiently low. One main approach to circumvent this problem is to exploit spoof SPPs, which are expected to exhibit useful subwavelength confinement and relative low propagation loss at terahertz frequencies. Here we report the design, fabrication, and characterization of terahertz spoof SPP waveguides based on corrugated metal surfaces. The various waveguide components, including a straight waveguide, an S-bend waveguide, a Y-splitter, and a directional coupler, were experimentally demonstrated using scanning near-field terahertz microscopy. The proposed waveguide indeed enables propagation, bending, splitting, and coupling of terahertz SPPs and thus paves a new way for the development of flexible and compact plasmonic circuits operating at terahertz frequencies.

© 2017 Chinese Laser Press

Abstract-Polarization-independent all-silicon dielectric metasurfaces in the terahertz regime

Huifang Zhang, Xueqian Zhang, Quan Xu, Qiu Wang, Yuehong Xu, Minggui Wei, Yanfeng Li, Jianqiang Gu, Zhen Tian, Chunmei Ouyang, Xixiang Zhang, Cong Hu, Jiaguang Han, and Weili Zhang

https://www.osapublishing.org/prj/abstract.cfm?uri=prj-6-1-24&origin=search

Dielectric metasurfaces have achieved great success in realizing high-efficiency wavefront control in the optical and infrared ranges. Here, we experimentally demonstrate several efficient, polarization-independent, all-silicon dielectric metasurfaces in the terahertz regime. The metasurfaces are composed of cylindrical silicon pillars on a silicon substrate, which can be easily fabricated using etching technology for semiconductors. By locally tailoring the diameter of the pillars, full control over abrupt phase changes can be achieved. To show the controlling ability of the metasurfaces, an anomalous deflector, three Bessel beam generators, and three vortex beam generators are fabricated and characterized. We also show that the proposed metasurfaces can be easily combined to form composite devices with extended functionalities. The proposed controlling method has promising applications in developing low-loss, ultra-compact spatial terahertz modulation devices.

© 2017 Chinese Laser Press

Abstract-Transmission and plasmonic resonances on quasicrystal metasurfaces

Quanlong Yang, Jianqiang Gu, Yuehong Xu, Yanfeng Li, Xueqian Zhang, Zhen Tian, Chunmei Ouyang, Jiaguang Han, and Weili Zhang

https://www.osapublishing.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-25-20-24173&origin=search

The control of light-matter interaction in metasurfaces offers an unexplored potential for the excitation and manipulation of light. Here, we combine experimental terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and near-field scanning terahertz microscopy to demonstrate the role of reciprocal vectors in the transmission and plasmonic resonances of quasicrystal metasurfaces. An investigation of two-dimensional metasurface structures with different rotationally symmetric quasicrystal arrangements demonstrates that the transmission minima resulting from Wood’s anomaly are directly related to the surface plasmon resonances. We also find that the surface plasmon resonances of the quasicrystal metasurface were determined by the reciprocal vectors, which could be well explained by the coupling condition of the resonances, and the characteristic frequencies remain un-shifted under various slit sizes. Our findings demonstrate a new potential in developing novel plasmonic metasurfaces.

© 2017 Optical Society of America

Abstract-Polarization-controlled asymmetric excitation of surface plasmons

Quan Xu, Xueqian Zhang, Quanlong Yang, Chunxiu Tian, Yuehong Xu, Jianbing Zhang, Hongwei Zhao, Yanfeng Li, Chunmei Ouyang, Zhen Tian, Jianqiang Gu, Xixiang Zhang, Jiaguang Han, and Weili Zhang

https://www.osapublishing.org/optica/abstract.cfm?uri=optica-4-9-1044&origin=search

Free-space light can be coupled into propagating surface waves at a metal–dielectric interface, known as surface plasmons (SPs). This process has traditionally faced challenges in preserving the incident polarization information and controlling the directionality of the excited SPs. The recently reported polarization-controlled asymmetric excitation of SPs in metasurfaces has attracted much attention for its promise in developing innovative plasmonic devices. However, the unit elements in these works were purposely designed in certain orthogonal polarizations, i.e., linear or circular polarizations, resulting in limited two-level polarization controllability. Here, we introduce a coupled-mode theory to overcome this limit. We demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that, by utilizing the coupling effect between a pair of split-ring-shaped slit resonators, exotic asymmetric excitation of SPs can be obtained under the 𝑥$x$-, 𝑦$y$-, left-handed circular, and right-handed circular polarization incidences, while the polarization information of the incident light can be preserved in the excited SPs. The versatility of the presented design scheme would offer opportunities for polarization sensing and polarization-controlled plasmonic devices.

© 2017 Optical Society of America

Abstract-Polarization and Frequency Multiplexed Terahertz Meta-Holography

Authors

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adom.201700277/full

Seeking effective and precise control over electromagnetic waves has always been an important focus in optics. Advances in nanofabrication technology have led to designer metasurfaces, which open up new possibilities by allowing almost arbitrary spatial distributions of optical properties to be realized. This study demonstrates a multiplexed meta-hologram generating different images for different polarizations and different terahertz frequencies. By utilizing C-shape bar resonators as the basic unit cells, simultaneous binary amplitude modulation and binary phase modulation in each pixel is realized. With polarization and frequency selective independent simultaneous control of amplitude and phase in every pixel, the proposed meta-hologram makes use of all four fundamental properties of electromagnetic waves. Generation of holographic images of “C,” “F,” “T,” or “W” depending on polarization and frequency is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. This approach, allowing for modulation of all characteristics of electromagnetic waves, paves the way for designing complex metasurfaces and metaholograms with multiplexed functionalities, which may have applications in multichannel communication and data storage.