Abstracts Category : Other

Theory, Characterization and Applications of Infrared Hyperbolic Metamaterials

by Daniel B Fullager

Hyperbolic Metamaterials (HMMs) are engineered structures capable of supporting lightmatter interactions that are not normally observed in naturally occuring material systems. These unusual responses are enabled by an enhancement of the photonic density of states (PDOS) in the material. The PDOS enhancement is a result of deliberately introduced anisotropy via a permittivity sign-change in HMM structures which increases the number and frequency spread of possible wave vectors that propagate in the material. Subwavelength structural features allow effective medium theories to be invoked to construct the k-space isofrequency quadratic curves that, for HMMs, result in the k-space isofrequency contour transitioning from being a bounded surface to an unbounded one. Since the PDOS is the integral of the differential volume between k-space contours, unbounded manifolds lead to the implication of an infinite or otherwise drastically enhanced PDOS. Since stored heat can be thought of as a set of non-radiative electromagnetic modes, in this dissertation we demonstrate that HMMs provide an ideal platform to attempt to modify the thermal/IR emissivity of a material. We also show that HMMs provide a platform for broadband plasmonic sensing. The advent of commercial two photon polymerization tools has enabled the rapid production of nano- and microstructures which can be used as scaffolds for directive infrared scatterers. We describe how such directive components can be used to address thermal management needs in vacuum environments in order to maximize radiative thermal transfer. In this context, the fundamental limitations of enhanced spon- taneous emission due to conjugate impedance matched scatterers are also explored. The HMM/conjugate scatterer systems performance is strongly correlated with the dielectric function of the negative permittivity component of the HMM. In order to fully understand the significance of these engineered materials, we examine in detail the electromagnetic response of one ternary material system, aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO), whose tuneable plasma frequency makes it ideal for HMM and thermal transfer applications. This study draws upon first principle calculations from the open literature utilizing a Hubbard-U corrected model for the non-local interaction of charge carriers in AZO crystalline systems. We present the first complete dielectric function of industrially produced AZO samples from DC to 30,000 cm¹ and conclude with an assessment of this materials suitability fo the applications described.