Digital design of multimaterial photonic particles
Scattering of light from dielectric particles whose size is on the order of an optical wavelength underlies a plethora of visual phenomena in nature and is a foundation for optical coatings and paints. Tailoring the internal nanoscale geometry of such "photonic particles" allows tuning the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/111795 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7244-3682 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9752-2283 |
| Summary: | Scattering of light from dielectric particles whose size is on the order of an optical wavelength underlies a plethora of visual phenomena in nature and is a foundation for optical coatings and paints. Tailoring the internal nanoscale geometry of such "photonic particles" allows tuning their optical scattering characteristics beyond those afforded by their constitutive materials - however, flexible yet scalable processing approaches to produce such particles are lacking. Here, we show that a thermally induced in-fiber fluid instability permits the "digital design" of multimaterial photonic particles: the precise allocation of high refractive-index contrast materials at independently addressable radial and azimuthal coordinates within its 3D architecture. Exploiting this unique capability in all-dielectric systems, we tune the scattering cross-section of equisized particles via radial structuring and induce polarization-sensitive scattering from spherical particles with broken internal rotational symmetry. The scalability of this fabrication strategy promises a generation of optical coatings in which sophisticated functionality is realized at the level of the individual particles. |
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