In<sub>3</sub>SbTe<sub>2</sub> as a programmable nanophotonics material platform for the infrared.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33568636.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-21175-7 and PMC identifier 7876017.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The high dielectric optical contrast between the amorphous and crystalline structural phases of non-volatile phase-change materials (PCMs) provides a promising route towards tuneable nanophotonic devices. Here, we employ the next-generation PCM In<sub>3</sub>SbTe<sub>2</sub> (IST) whose optical properties change from dielectric to metallic upon crystallization in the whole infrared spectral range. This distinguishes IST as a switchable infrared plasmonic PCM and enables a programmable nanophotonics material platform. We show how resonant metallic nanostructures can be directly written, modified and erased on and below the meta-atom level in an IST thin film by a pulsed switching laser, facilitating direct laser writing lithography without need for cumbersome multi-step nanofabrication. With this technology, we demonstrate large resonance shifts of nanoantennas of more than 4 µm, a tuneable mid-infrared absorber with nearly 90% absorptance as well as screening and nanoscale "soldering" of metallic nanoantennas. Our concepts can empower improved designs of programmable nanophotonic devices for telecommunications, (bio)sensing and infrared optics, e.g. programmable infrared detectors, emitters and reconfigurable holograms.