Breaking the angular dispersion limit in thin film optics by ultra-strong light-matter coupling

Andreas Mischok*, Bernhard Siegmund, Florian Le Roux, Sabina Gisela Hildegunde Hillebrandt, Koen Vandewal, Malte Christian Gather*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Thin film interference is integral to modern photonics, e.g., allowing for precise design of high performance optical filters, photovoltaics and light-emitting devices. However, interference inevitably leads to a generally undesired change of spectral characteristics with angle. Here, we introduce a strategy to overcome this fundamental limit in optics by utilizing and tuning the exciton-polariton modes arising in ultra-strongly coupled microcavities. We demonstrate optical filters with narrow pass bands that shift by less than their half width (< 15 nm) even at extreme angles. By expanding this strategy to strong coupling with the photonic sidebands of dielectric multilayer stacks, we also obtain filters with high extinction ratios and up to 98% peak transmission. Finally, we apply this approach in flexible filters, organic photodiodes, and polarization-sensitive filtering. These results illustrate how strong coupling provides additional degrees of freedom in thin film optics that will enable exciting new applications in micro-optics, sensing, and biophotonics.
Original languageEnglish
Article number10529
Number of pages10
JournalNature Communications
Volume15
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Dec 2024

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