• DOI:10.1038/nnano.2011.82
• Corpus ID: 19037580

Large-area flexible 3D optical negative index metamaterial formed by nanotransfer printing.

@article{Chanda2011LargeareaF3,
  title={Large-area flexible 3D optical negative index metamaterial formed by nanotransfer printing.},
  author={Debashis Chanda and Kazuki Shigeta and Sidhartha Datta Gupta and Tyler A. Cain and Andrew Carlson and Agust{\'i}n Mihi and Alfred J. Baca and Gregory Robert Bogart and Paul V. Braun and John A. Rogers},
  journal={Nature nanotechnology},
  year={2011},
  volume={6 7},
  pages={
          402-7
        }
}

• D. Chanda, Kazuki Shigeta, +7 authors J. Rogers
• Published 1 July 2011
• Physics
• Nature nanotechnology

Negative-index metamaterials (NIMs) are engineered structures with optical properties that cannot be obtained in naturally occurring materials. Recent work has demonstrated that focused ion beam and layer-by-layer electron-beam lithography can be used to pattern the necessary nanoscale features over small areas (hundreds of µm(2)) for metamaterials with three-dimensional layouts and interesting characteristics, including negative-index behaviour in the optical regime. A key challenge is in the fabrication of such three-dimensional NIMs with sizes and at throughputs necessary for many realistic applications (including lenses, resonators and other photonic components). We report a simple printing approach capable of forming large-area, high-quality NIMs with three-dimensional, multilayer formats. Here, a silicon wafer with deep, nanoscale patterns of surface relief serves as a reusable stamp. Blanket deposition of alternating layers of silver and magnesium fluoride onto such a stamp represents a process for 'inking' it with thick, multilayer assemblies. Transfer printing this ink material onto rigid or flexible substrates completes the fabrication in a high-throughput manner. Experimental measurements and simulation results show that macroscale, three-dimensional NIMs (>75 cm(2)) nano-manufactured in this way exhibit a strong, negative index of refraction in the near-infrared spectral range, with excellent figures of merit.