Coupled plasmon wave dynamics beyond anomalous reflection: phase gradient Copper metasurface for visible to the near infrared spectrum

Abstract

In nanoscale photonic devices, the demand for multifunctionality from metasurface 2D optics increases rapidly. To explore fine-tuning in the design metric, we reinvestigated the trapezoid shape copper metasurface with Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulation for efficiently using linearly polarized light for two different functionalities. From the plasmonic band structure, we see how the degree of asymmetry in geometry affects the efficient resonance coupling of the traveling plasmonic modes, along with different types of mode hybridization profiles related to the nanoantenna's geometric shape. Tuning the nanoantenna's length, we can excite the effective plasmon mode supported by this configuration and guide out surface wave unidirectionally from the normal incident free-space light for visible to infrared range. Directed surface plasmon polariton has both antisymmetric and symmetric modes oscillating between the top and bottom surface of the continuous metal layer depending on the nanoantenna's length and wavelength. This proposed Copper metasurface is optimized for far-field application of broadband (600-900 nm) anomalous beam steering for an average of 65 percent efficiency with a maximum of 64 degree angle. This work brings more understanding of how one metasurface can be implemented in small footprint plasmonic devices, waveguide mode controlling, as well as beam steering with their wavelength dependent functionality.