Physics of Ordered Nanostructures and New Materials in Photonics

The subject of our research will be ordered nanostructures and new materials used primarily in photonics. Research on metamaterials (MMs), plasmonic structures and photonic crystals (PhCs) will include study of their electromagnetic (EM) properties, search for new geometries and materials and possible applications. One of the main tasks is to design MMs, plasmonic and PhC structures for applications in the visible range. For this purposes, we will use different numerical tools such as finite element, finite- difference time-domain, plane wave expansion, and Green functions methods. Important task consists of a search and characterization of better low-losses materials (metallic alloys, inter-metallic compounds, doped semiconductors or transparent metallic films) for plasmonic/metamaterial structures. One possible solution could be use of graphene and graphene nanostructures with their extraordinary properties and promising applications both in photonics and electronics. Graphene study comprises of fabrication of flakes, characterization, calculations of electronic and optical properties, simulations of EM field propagation through the graphene structures and AFM patterning using standard and anodic oxidation lithography. For characterization of all nanostructure materials we will use various optical spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy techniques. A special emphasis is on the role of spectroscopic ellipsometry as a valuable tool for nanostructure characterization.