Transmit-Array, Metasurface-Based Tunable Polarizer and High-Performance Biosensor in the Visible Regime

• Main Authors: Kai He, Yidong Liu, Yongqi Fu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Nanomaterials
• Subjects: metamaterials; metasurfaces; biosensors; polarizers; splitter; Mie resonances
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/4/603

There are two types of metasurfaces, reflect-array and transmit-array,&#8212;which are classified on the basis of structural features. In this paper, we design a transmit-array metasurface for <i>y</i>-polarized incidence which is characterized by having a transmission spectrum with a narrow dip (i.e., less than 3 nm). Furthermore, a tunable polarizer is achieved using linear geometric configurations, realizing a transmittivity ratio between <i>x</i>- and <i>y</i>-polarized incidence ranging from 0.031% to 1%. Based on the narrow-band polarization sensitivity of our polarizer, a biosensor was designed to detect an environmental refractive index ranging from 1.30 to 1.39, with a factor of sensitivity <i>S</i> = 192 nm/RIU and figure of merit (<i>FOM</i>) = 64/RIU. In the case of a narrow-band feature and dips in transmission spectrums close to zero, <i>FOM*</i> can have a value as large as 92,333/RIU. This unique feature makes the novel transmit-array metasurface a potential market candidate in the field of biosensors. Moreover, transmit-array metasurfaces with lossless materials offer great convenience by means of detecting either the reflectance spectrum or the transmission spectrum.