Field-effect modulation of the local density of optical states in a reflectarray metasurface

Abstract

During recent years, advances in the design of arrays of subwavelength optical elements with special electromagnetic properties have enabled quasi two-dimensional structures that control and manipulate electromagnetic phase, amplitude and polarization. Active control of the response of metasurfaces is possible using transparent conducting oxides such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) as a tunable active material [1]. Changing the complex permittivity of ITO by applying a voltage yields modulation of reflected wave phase and amplitude. To achieve this, we designed subwavelength antenna arrays consisting of a gold back reflector and gold fishbone antennas. Planar dielectric layers containing a gate tunable layer of ITO are sandwiched between the back reflector and the antenna. The obtained structure shows resonance around 1.5 µm. As a result, based on the 1.54 µm photoluminescence emission of Er doped Al_2O_3 films, we embedded trivalent erbium ions as quantum emitters inside an alumina host within the metasurface in order to enhance the local density of optical states (LDOS). Simulations indicate the designed structure shows a significant LDOS enhancement (of order of hundreds). By applying a bias between the antenna and the ITO layer, across an HfO_2 gate dielectric, we can control the permittivity of ITO and hence dynamically modulate the decay rate of quantum emitters embedded within the structure. In this way, we can achieve LDOS enhancement modulation of about 325%.