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Nanomaterials for Photonics: Advances and Applications

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 16534

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dana Cristea

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Guest Editor

Microphotonics Laboratory, National Institute for R&D in Microtechnologies (IMT-Bucharest), Bucharest, Romania
Interests: photodetectors; integrated optics; optical chemo- and biosensors; metamaterials; new materials (quantum dots, graphene, hybrid nanocomposites) for photonics

Dr. Mihaela Kusko

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, National Institute for R&D in Microtechnologies (IMT-Bucharest), Bucharest, Romania
Interests: nanomaterials; nanocomposites; heterostructure engineering; energy harvesting and storage; optoelectronic devices; sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Photonics—the science of creating, manipulating, transmitting, and detecting light—has demonstrated the potential to bring significant progress and even to revolutionize a large range of domains, including healthcare, environment monitoring, energy generation and conservation, high-speed telecommunications, quantum computing, IoT, manufacturing technologies, transportation, and agriculture.

To improve the performance of photonic devices and circuits and add new functionalities, advances in optical materials and nanofabrication techniques are required.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials will focus on recent advances and trends in developing advanced materials with new optical, photonic, and electrical properties for applications in photonics.

We invite interested authors to submit papers that cover synthesis, investigations, and fundamental understanding of new of structures and physical/chemical/optical properties, and characterization and application of new materials for photonics. Papers should demonstrate the applicability of the new materials in photonics and the added value in terms of performance, cost, and/or functionalities.

Papers presenting advanced device concepts and integration of the new materials with electronics will be highly appreciated.

Dr. Dana Cristea
Dr. Mihaela Kusko
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Nanoparticles, nanowires, 2D materials, 3D nanostructured materials
Hybrid nanocomposites
Hybrid metal oxide materials (0D, 1D, 2D, 3D)
Materials for nonlinear optics
Metamaterials, metasurfaces, plasmonics
Advanced nanomaterials for photodetectors and light-emitting devices
Materials for integrated quantum photonics
New materials for optical fiber and waveguides
Emerging solar cell absorbers
Novel and innovative approaches that allow monolithic and heterogeneous integration of the photonic devices based on new materials on silicon technology.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 10783 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multilevel Spiral Axicon for High-Order Bessel–Gauss Beams Generation

by Rebeca Tudor, George Andrei Bulzan, Mihai Kusko, Cristian Kusko, Viorel Avramescu, Dan Vasilache and Raluca Gavrila

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(3), 579; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13030579 - 31 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1692

Abstract

This paper presents an efficient method to generate high-order Bessel–Gauss beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) by using a thin and compact optical element such as a multilevel spiral axicon. This approach represents an excellent alternative for diffraction-free OAM beam generation instead of complex methods based on a doublet formed by a physical spiral phase plate and zero-order axicon, phase holograms loaded on spatial light modulators (SLMs), or the interferometric method. Here, we present the fabrication process for axicons with 16 and 32 levels, characterized by high mode conversion efficiency and good transmission for visible light (λ = 633 nm wavelength). The Bessel vortex states generated with the proposed diffractive optical elements (DOEs) can be exploited as a very useful resource for optical and quantum communication in free-space channels or in optical fibers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Photonics: Advances and Applications)

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10 pages, 15639 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tunable Photoresponse in a Two-Dimensional Superconducting Heterostructure

by Zijie Ji, Ruan Zhang, Shuangxing Zhu, Feifan Gu, Yunmin Jin, Binghe Xie, Jiaxin Wu and Xinghan Cai

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(3), 421; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13030421 - 19 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1556

Abstract

The photo-induced superconducting phase transition is widely used in probing the physical properties of correlated electronic systems and to realize broadband photodetection with extremely high responsivity. However, such photoresponse is usually insensitive to electrostatic doping due to the high carrier density of the superconductor, restricting its applications in tunable optoelectronic devices. In this work, we demonstrate the gate voltage modulation to the photoresponsivity in a two-dimensional NbSe₂-graphene heterojunction. The superconducting critical current of the NbSe₂ relies on the gate-dependent hot carrier generation in graphene via the Joule heating effect, leading to the observed shift of both the magnitude and peak position of the photoresponsivity spectra as the gate voltage changes. This heating effect is further confirmed by the temperature and laser-power-dependent characterization of the photoresponse. In addition, we investigate the spatially-resolved photocurrent, finding that the superconductivity is inhomogeneous across the junction area. Our results provide a new platform for designing tunable superconducting photodetector and indicate that the photoresponse could be a powerful tool in studying the local electronic properties and phase transitions in low-dimensional superconducting systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Photonics: Advances and Applications)

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11 pages, 3128 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Bowtie Nanoantenna Coupled Metal-Oxide-Silicon (p-Doped) Diode for 28.3 THz IR Rectification

by Nasim Al Islam and Sangjo Choi

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(22), 3940; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12223940 - 09 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1552

Abstract

Low-temperature waste heat in the infrared (IR) wavelength region offers an opportunity to harvest power from waste energy and requires further investigation in order to find efficient conversion techniques. Although grating-coupled metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) diode devices offer efficient conversion from low and moderate-temperature thermal sources, the integration of such diodes with a nanoantenna structure has yet to be explored. We propose a bowtie nanoantenna coupled with a p-doped MOS diode for IR to direct current (DC) conversion without any bias voltage at 28.3 THz. The nanoantenna was designed and optimized to provide maximum field enhancement in a 4 nm-thick oxide layer at the resonant frequency. The device was fabricated following the complementary MOS (CMOS) fabrication process and measured in a custom DC and optical characterization setup using a 10.6 μm wavelength CO₂ laser. The results reveal two different types of devices with linear and nonlinear I-V curves having kΩ and MΩ zero-bias resistance, respectively. The linear device generates a micron-level open-circuit voltage (V_oc) with clear polarization dependence from the laser input, but the nonlinear case suffers from a weak noise-like signal. Finally, we analyze two types of devices using thermoelectric and tunneling effects and discuss the future direction of nanoantenna-integrated MOS devices for efficient IR harvesters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Photonics: Advances and Applications)

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14 pages, 23554 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Selective Mid-IR Metamaterial-Based Gas Sensor System: Proof of Concept and Performances Tests

by Laura Mihai, Razvan Mihalcea, Roxana Tomescu, Costel Paun and Dana Cristea

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(6), 1009; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12061009 - 18 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2738

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a highly selective and efficient gas detection system based on a narrow-band IR metasurface emitter integrated with a resistive heater. In order to develop the sensor for the detection of specific gases, both the microheater and metasurface structures have been optimized in terms of geometry and materials. Devices with different metamaterial structures and geometries for the heater have been tested. Our prototype showed that the modification of the spectral response of metasurface-based structures is easily achieved by adapting the geometrical parameters of the plasmonic micro-/nanostructures in the metasurface. The advantage of this system is the on-chip integration of a thermal source with broad IR radiation with the metasurface structure, obtaining a compact selective radiation source. From the experimental data, narrow emission peaks (FWHM as low as 0.15 μm), corresponding to the CO₂, CH₄, and CO absorption bands, with a radiant power of a few mW were obtained. It has been shown that, by changing the bias voltage, a shift of a few tens of nm around the central emission wavelength can be obtained, allowing fine optimization for gas detection applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Photonics: Advances and Applications)

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14 pages, 28597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plasmon-Enhanced Photoresponse of Self-Powered Si Nanoholes Photodetector by Metal Nanowires

by Pericle Varasteanu, Antonio Radoi, Oana Tutunaru, Anton Ficai, Razvan Pascu, Mihaela Kusko and Iuliana Mihalache

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(9), 2460; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11092460 - 21 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2685

Abstract

In this work, we report the development of self-powered photodetectors that integrate silicon nanoholes (SiNHs) and four different types of metal nanowires (AgNWs, AuNWs, NiNWs, PtNWs) applied on the SiNHs’ surface using the solution processing method. The effectiveness of the proposed architectures is evidenced through extensive experimental and simulation analysis. The AgNWs/SiNHs device showed the highest photo-to-dark current ratio of 2.1 × 10⁻⁴, responsivity of 30 mA/W and detectivity of 2 × 10¹¹ Jones along with the lowest noise equivalent power (NEP) parameter of 2.4 × 10⁻¹² WHz^−1/2 in the blue light region. Compared to the bare SiNHs device, the AuNWs/SiNHs device had significantly enhanced responsivity up to 15 mA/W, especially in the red and near-infrared spectral region. Intensity-modulated photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS) measurements revealed that the AgNWs/SiNHs device generated the longest charge carrier lifetime at 470 nm, whereas the AuNWs/SiNHs showed the slowest recombination rate at 627 nm. Furthermore, numerical simulation confirmed the local field enhancement effects at the MeNWs and SiNHs interface. The study demonstrates a cost-efficient and scalable strategy to combine the superior light harvesting properties of SiNHs with the plasmonic absorption of metallic nanowires (MeNWs) towards enhanced sensitivity and spectral-selective photodetection induced by the local surface plasmon resonance effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Photonics: Advances and Applications)

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Review

Jump to: Research

25 pages, 6488 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on Rhenium Disulfide: Synthesis Approaches, Optical Properties, and Applications in Pulsed Lasers

by Mahmoud Muhanad Fadhel, Norazida Ali, Haroon Rashid, Nurfarhana Mohamad Sapiee, Abdulwahhab Essa Hamzah, Mohd Saiful Dzulkefly Zan, Norazreen Abd Aziz and Norhana Arsad

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(9), 2367; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11092367 - 12 Sep 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3993

Abstract

Rhenium Disulfide (ReS₂) has evolved as a novel 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material which has promising applications in optoelectronics and photonics because of its distinctive anisotropic optical properties. Saturable absorption property of ReS₂ has been utilized to fabricate saturable absorber (SA) devices to generate short pulses in lasers systems. The results were outstanding, including high-repetition-rate pulses, large modulation depth, multi-wavelength pulses, broadband operation and low saturation intensity. In this review, we emphasize on formulating SAs based on ReS₂ to produce pulsed lasers in the visible, near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelength regions with pulse durations down to femtosecond using mode-locking or Q-switching technique. We outline ReS₂ synthesis techniques and integration platforms concerning solid-state and fiber-type lasers. We discuss the laser performance based on SAs attributes. Lastly, we draw conclusions and discuss challenges and future directions that will help to advance the domain of ultrafast photonic technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Photonics: Advances and Applications)

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