1. Tunable optical anisotropy in epitaxial phase-change VO2 thin films
- Author
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John Jimmy, Slassi Amine, Sun Jianing, Sun Yifei, Bachelet Romain, Pénuelas José, Saint-Girons Guillaume, Orobtchouk Régis, Ramanathan Shriram, Calzolari Arrigo, and Cueff Sébastien
- Subjects
optical anisotropy ,phase-change materials ,tunable nanophotonics ,vanadium dioxide ,Physics ,QC1-999 - Abstract
We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate a strong and tunable optical anisotropy in epitaxially-grown VO2 thin films. Using a combination of temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements and first-principle calculations, we reveal that these VO2 thin films present an ultra-large birefringence (Δn > 0.9). Furthermore, leveraging the insulator-to-metal transition of VO2, we demonstrate a dynamic reconfiguration of optical properties from birefringent to hyperbolic, which are two distinctive regimes of anisotropy. Such a naturally birefringent and dynamically switchable platform paves the way for multi-functional devices exploiting tunable anisotropy and hyperbolic dispersion.
- Published
- 2022
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