Circularly Polarized Photoluminescence from Chiral Metamaterials and Large Area Fabrication

Chirality controls light polarization, leading to emerging applications ranging from 3D displays to anti-counterfeiting to sensing. In the first example, I will show patterned, light-emitting metasurface structures, combining plasmonic structures and patterned, photoluminescent quantum dots. I will show how strategically placing these nanocrystals results in highly tailored circularly polarized photoluminescence, which realize simultaneously high polarization control and photoluminescence intensity. The light-emitting meta-atoms, which consist of cross-linked nanocrystals, are fabricated using direct-write electron beam lithography, realizing lateral feature sizes as small as 30 nm and heights in excess of 100 nm without degradation of the photoluminescence. I will then discuss an alternative strategy that uses additive manufacturing to create large-area metamaterials, and is roll-to-roll compatible. Finally, I will discuss the optical properties of chiral metamaterials formed by block co-polymer assembly and the effects of both the surface termination and bulk structure. I will show that it is possible to realize circular dichroism even in structures that are achiral in the bulk, due to the surface termination.