Bio-inspired nanophotonics : manipulating light at the nanoscale with plasmonic metamaterials

Metals interact very differently with light than with radio waves and finite conductivities and losses often limit the way that RF concepts can be directly transferred to higher frequencies. Plasmonic materials are investigated here for various optical applications, since they can interact, confine and focus light at the nanoscale; however, regular plasmonic devices are severely limited by frequency dispersion and absorption, and confined signals cannot travel along plasmonic lines over few wavelengths. For these reasons, novel concepts and materials should be introduced to successfully manipulate and radiate light in the same flexible way we operate at lower frequencies. In line with these efforts, optical metamaterials exploit the resonant wave interaction of collections of plasmonic nanoparticles to produce anomalous light effects, beyond what naturally available in optical materials and in their basic constituents. Still, these concepts are currently limited by a variety of factors, such as: (a) technological challenges in realizing 3-D bulk composites with specific nano-structured patterns; (b) inherent sensitivity to disorder and losses in their realization; (c) not straightforward modeling of their interaction with nearby optical sources. In this study, we develop a novel paradigm to use single-element nanoantennas, and composite nanoantenna arrays forming two-dimensional metasurfaces and three-dimensional metamaterials, to control and manipulate light and its polarization at the nanoscale, which can possibly bypass the abovementioned limitations in terms of design procedure and experimental realization. The final design of some of the metamaterial concepts proposed in this work was inspired by biological species, whose complex structure can exhibit superior functionalities to detect, control and manipulate the polarization state of light for their orientation, signaling and defense. Inspired by these concepts, we theoretically investigate and design metasurfaces and metamaterial models with the help of fully vectorial numerical simulation tools, and we are able to outline the limitations and ultimate conditions under which the average optical surface impedance concept may accurately describe the complex wave interaction with planar plasmonic metasurfaces. We also experimentally explore various technological approaches compatible with these goals, such as the realization of lithographic single-element nanoantenna and nanoantenna arrays with complex circuit loads, periodic arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles or nanoapertures, and stacks of rotated plasmonic metasurfaces. At the conclusion of this effort, we have theoretically analyzed, designed and experimentally realized and characterized the feasibility of using discrete metasurfaces to realize phenomena and performance that are not available in natural materials, oftentimes inspired by the biological world.