New metamaterials shape light
Researchers have developed a new class of semiconductor metamaterials that enables novel ways to control light, opening opportunities for future photonic integrated circuits, optical communications and sensing technologies.
A team of researchers has demonstrated a new class of intrinsically nonlocal metamaterials, revealing an electromagnetic regime that could enable more advanced control of light for future photonic integrated circuits (PICs), optical communications and sensing technologies.
Published in Nature Communications, the study combines theoretical modelling with experimental validation to show that structuring semiconductor materials at the scale of their intrinsic nonlocal response creates optical behaviour that cannot be described by conventional electromagnetic models.
Unlike traditional metamaterials, which derive their properties primarily from engineered structures, the new approach harnesses the intrinsic interactions between neighbouring regions within a material.
This allows multiple coupled electromagnetic waves to propagate simultaneously, opening new possibilities for manipulating light at deep subwavelength scales.
To demonstrate the concept, the researchers fabricated semiconductor multilayers using molecular beam epitaxy, incorporating highly doped and lightly doped indium arsenide separated by ultrathin barrier layers.
Optical measurements closely matched predictions from the team's new nonlocal electromagnetic model, while conventional models failed to explain the observed resonance behaviour.
According to the researchers, the ability to engineer intrinsic nonlocality could provide an additional degree of freedom when designing photonic devices, enabling stronger light confinement, enhanced nonlinear optical performance and more efficient manipulation of electromagnetic energy.
Potential applications include integrated photonics, optical sensing, infrared photonic devices, optical communications, pulse shaping and future nanoscale photonic circuits.
The researchers believe the work establishes a new framework for designing functional optical materials by coupling nanoscale architecture with the fundamental charge-carrier physics of semiconductor materials, creating opportunities for next-generation photonic devices beyond the capabilities of conventional metamaterials.
