Theory and applications of absorbing guided-mode resonant devices in sensing, communications, and display

Abstract

Guided-mode resonant (GMR) technology is incorporated into lossy dielectric materials to assist in the absorption of incident light for various applications. Varying topologies and methodologies are explored. A series of devices taking advantage of narrow band, coherent interferometry is found to work as a serviceable coherent perfect absorber (CPA) whereby the total transmittance through the device is tunable based upon the relative phase of two or more beams. The differing beams are shown to be exciting the same mode in the device enabling the interferometric function. A similar, active topology for use in electronically interrogable interfacing is explored. Multiple hybrid metal-dielectric topologies are explored combining function from GMR, plasmonics, and Rayleigh anomaly to create various filters, sensors, and displays. Among these, a low index sensor topology is found to be operable between the cover and substrate Rayleigh wavelengths. Wideband absorptive properties utilizing GMR and 2D expansion are investigated. It is found that 1D, wideband, polarization sensitive devices can be straightforwardly extrapolated into 2D-patterned polarization insensitive ones. Ultra-sparse absorptive gratings enabled by a form of vertical coupling and assisted via GMR are shown to have polarizing attributes with extinction ratios theoretically in excess of 108:1 with low reflection. Lastly, basic absorbing GMR design principles are extrapolated into the Mid IR illustrating comparable performance, in theory, to dielectric absorbers enhanced by plasmonic effects.