Deep-subwavelength near-field imaging based on perovskites and doped semiconductors at infrared frequencies

摘要

A superlens that can create sub-diffraction-limited imaging has attracted extensive interest over the past decade. In this paper, we discuss our recent work of infrared superlenses based on perovskites and doped semiconductors. Perovskite oxides show pronounced phonon resonances in the range of 10 to 30 urn, giving rise to negative permittivities around the resonant frequencies. Consequently, we can match a pair of perovskite materials with permittivities in opposite signs to fulfill the superlensing condition. Using a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM) coupled with a tunable free-electron laser, we investigate the evanescent waves in the image plane of perovskite superlenses to address precisely the surface polariton modes, which are important to enhance imaging resolution. Sub-diffraction-limited images with resolution of λ/14 have been achieved at the superlensing wavelength. We also demonstrate a near-field superlens based on doped semiconductors in the mid-infrared region. Highly doped n-GaAs induces a resonant enhancement of evanescent waves, leading to a significantly improved spatial resolution at the wavelength around 20 um that is adjustable by changing the doping level. Experimentally, gold stripes below the GaAs superlens are imaged with a λ/6 subwavelength resolution by s-SNOM. Full-wave simulation results are in very good agreement with the observed superlensing effect. These results promise a wide range of applications for infrared imaging, spectroscopy and biochemical sensing at the nanoscale.