DOI
10.1002/adom.201700830
Abstract
Superabsorbers based on metasurfaces have recently enabled the control of light at the nanoscale in unprecedented ways. Nevertheless, the sub‐wavelength features needed to modify the absorption band usually require complex fabrication methods, such as electron‐beam lithography. To overcome the scalability limitations associated with the fabrication of metallic nanostructures, engineering the optical response of superabsorbers by metal alloying is proposed, instead of tuning the geometry/size of the nanoscale building blocks. The superior performance of thin film AlCu alloys as the metallic component of planar bilayer superabsorbers is numerically demonstrated. This alloy outperforms its pure constituents as well as other metals, such as Ag, Au, and Cr. As a model system, a Si/AlCu structure is analyzed that presents >99% absorption at selected wavelength ranging from the visible to the near‐infrared regions of the spectrum, depending on the subwavelength thickness of the semiconductor. The multi‐wavelength near‐unity absorption behavior of Si/AlCu persists even for oblique angle of incidence, up to 70°. Additionally, the findings are validated by fabricating and testing a‐Si/AlCu superabsorbers, where good agreement is found between the numerically and experimentally determined optical response. The system investigated here is relevant for integration in complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS) technologies.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-18-2018
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. This article first appeared in Advanced Optical Materials 6, no. 2 (January 18, 2018): 1700830:1-8. doi: 10.1002/adom.201700830.
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Recommended Citation
Dias, Mariama Rebello Sousa, Chen Gong, Zackery A. Benson, and Marina S. Leite. “Lithography-Free, Omnidirectional, CMOS-Compatible AlCu Alloys for Thin-Film Superabsorbers.” Advanced Optical Materials 6, no. 2 (January 18, 2018): 1700830. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.201700830.