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Valentyn S. Volkov

Publications and source records attributed to Valentyn S. Volkov.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Experimental verification of a plasmonic hook in a dielectric Janus particle

We report on a very first experimental observation of a new curved plasmonic beam, a plasmonic hook (PH), for surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) waves. We demonstrate that the SPP PH effect could be realized within a trapezoidal dielectric microstructure with the relative ease of fabrication compared to the generation of the Airy SPP waves which require complex techniques to compensate the wave vectors mismatch. Using numerical analysis, we predicted the PH phenomenon, optimized the microstructure and then confirmed the SPP PH existence via amplitude and phase-resolved scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy at the telecom wavelengths of 1530-1570 nm. The experimental results are in reasonable agreement with our predictions. Importantly, the SPP PH demonstrates the smallest radius of curvature ever recorded for SPP waves compared to that for the Airy-family plasmonic beams providing many useful applications spreading from nanoparticles manipulation toward bio-sensing within a nanoscale.

physics.optics↗

The formation of intermediate layers in covered Ge/Si heterostructures with low-temperature quantum dots: a study using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy

The method of software analysis of high-resolution TEM images using the peak pairs algorithm in combination with Raman spectroscopy was employed to study lattice deformations in Ge/Si(001) structures with low-temperature Ge quantum dots. It was found that the stresses do not spread in a thick Si layer above quantum dots, but completely relax via the formation of a thin boundary layer of mixed composition. However, intermixing of Ge and Si is absent beneath the Ge layer in samples with a Ge coverage of 10 Å. Besides intermixing was not observed at all, both beneath and above the Ge layer, in samples with a Ge coverage of 6 Å or less. This may be due to the predominance of Ge diffusion into the Si matrix from the {105} facets of Ge huts, not from the Ge wetting layer, at low temperatures of the Ge/Si structure deposition. The critical thickness of Si coverage at which the intense stress-induced diffusion takes place is determined to lie in the range from 5 to 8 nm.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Analytical approximations for the dispersion of electromagnetic modes in slabs of biaxial crystals

Anisotropic crystals have recently attracted considerable attention because of their ability to support polaritons with a variety of unique properties, such as hyperbolic dispersion, negative phase velocity, or extreme confinement. Particularly, the biaxial crystal $α$-MoO$_3$ has been demonstrated to support phonon polaritons, light coupled to lattice vibrations, with in-plane anisotropic propagation and unusually long lifetime. However, the lack of theoretical studies on electromagnetic modes in biaxial crystal slabs impedes a complete interpretation of the experimental data, as well as an efficient design of nanostructures supporting such highly anisotropic polaritons. Here, we derive the dispersion relation of electromagnetic modes in biaxial slabs surrounded by semi-infinite isotropic dielectric half-spaces with arbitrary dielectric permittivities. Apart from a general dispersion relation, we provide very simple analytical expressions in typical experiments in nano-optics: the limits of short polaritonic wavelength and/or very thin slabs. The results of our study will allow for an in-depth analysis of anisotropic polaritons in novel biaxial van der Waals materials.

physics.optics↗

Photonic hook -- a new type of subwavelength self-bending structured light beams: a tutorial review

During the last 2 years, it was shown that an electromagnetic beam configuration can be bent after propagation through an asymmetrically shaped (Janus) dielectric particle, which adds a new degree of simplicity for generation of a curved light beam. This effect is termed "photonic hook" (PH) and differs from Airy-family beams. PH features the smallest curvature radius of electromagnetic waves ever reported which is about 2 times smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave. The nature of a photonic hook is a the dispersion of the phase velocity of the waves inside a trapezoid or composed particle, resulting in an interference afterwards.

physics.optics↗

Ultrathin and ultrasmooth gold films on monolayer MoS2

Sub-10 nm continuous metal films are promising candidates for flexible and transparent nanophotonics and optoelectronics applications. In this Letter, we demonstrate that monolayer MoS2 is a perspective adhesion layer for the deposition of continuous conductive gold films with a thickness of only 3-4 nm. Optical properties of continuous ultrathin gold films deposited on two-dimensional MoS2 grown by chemical vapor deposition are investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry over a wide wavelength range (300-3300 nm). Results show that optical losses in ultrathin films increase with decreasing thickness due to the fine-grained structure and the presence of a small number of voids, however, they exhibit metallic properties down to a thickness of 3-4 nm. The atomic-scale MoS2 interfaces can be transferred to any substrate and thus open up new opportunities for the creation of metasurfaces and a new type of van der Waals heterostructures with atomically thin metal layers.

physics.app-ph↗

Direct characterization of plasmonic slot waveguides and nanocouplers

We demonstrate the use of amplitude- and phase-resolved near-field mapping for direct characterization of plasmonic slot waveguide mode propagation and excitation with nanocouplers in the telecom wavelength range. We measure mode's propagation length, effective index and field distribution and directly evaluate the relative coupling efficiencies for various couplers configurations. We report 26- and 15-fold improvements in the coupling efficiency with two serially connected dipole and modified bow-tie antennas, respectively, as compared to that of the short-circuited waveguide termination.

physics.optics↗

Boosting local field enhancement by on-chip nanofocusing and impedance-matched plasmonic antennas

Strongly confined surface plasmon-polariton modes can be used for efficiently delivering the electromagnetic energy to nano-sized volumes by reducing the cross sections of propagating modes far beyond the diffraction limit, i.e., by nanofocusing. This process results in significant local-field enhancement that can advantageously be exploited in modern optical nanotechnologies, including signal processing, biochemical sensing, imaging and spectroscopy. Here, we propose, analyze, and experimentally demonstrate on-chip nanofocusing followed by impedance-matched nanowire antenna excitation in the end-fire geometry at telecom wavelengths. Numerical and experimental evidences of the efficient excitation of dipole and quadrupole (dark) antenna modes are provided, revealing underlying physical mechanisms and analogies with the operation of plane-wave Fabry-Pérot interferometers. The unique combination of efficient nanofocusing and nanoantenna resonant excitation realized in our experiments offers a major boost to the field intensity enhancement up to $\sim 12000$, with the enhanced field being evenly distributed over the gap volume of $30\times 30\times 10\ {\rm nm}^3$, and promises thereby a variety of useful on-chip functionalities within sensing, nonlinear spectroscopy and signal processing.

physics.optics↗