An optical modulating device, a beam steering device, and a system employing the same are provided. The optical modulating device includes an active layer, a driver configured to electrically control a refraction index of the active layer, and a nano-antenna disposed on the active layer, and having a dual nano-antenna structure including a first nano-antenna and a second nano-antenna, the first nano-antenna having a length different from a length of the second nano-antenna, and the first nano-antenna being spaced apart from the second nano-antenna. The driver includes a first driver electrically connected to the first nano-antenna, and a second driver electrically connected to the second nano-antenna.

A graphene structure includes one or more graphene layers. The graphene layers allow for microwave squeezing with gains up to 24 dB over a wide bandwidth.

A signal transfer link includes a first plasmonic coupler, and a second plasmonic coupler spaced apart from the first plasmonic coupler to form a gap. A plasmonic conductive layer is formed over the gap to excite plasmons to provide signal transmission between the first and second plasmonic couplers.

Provided is an optical device including a dielectric transparent substrate and a metallic layer having a thickness between about 20 nm and about 1000 nm disposed on the transparent substrate. The metallic layer comprises at least one localized group of cavities, each localized group being confined within a diameter smaller than about 5 um, and each localized group comprising at least two cavities, with a distance between two adjacent cavities in the localized group being between about 100 nm and about 2000 nm. Each cavity in the localized group is shaped as a through-hole in the metallic layer, the through hole having a polygonal cross-section having a polygon side length between 50 nm and 2000 nm.

A tunable plasmon resonator, comprising a plasmon resonance layer made of graphene, a crystalline group-IV-semiconductor material or a crystalline group-III-V semiconductor material, and arranged on a carrier substrate, the plasmon resonance layer having a plasmon resonance region that is exposed to a sensing volume and a tuning device that is integrated into the plasmon resonator and arranged and configured to modify a density of free charge carriers in the plasmon resonance region or to modify an effective mass amount of the free charge carriers in the plasmon resonance region by applying of a control voltage to tuning control electrode(s) of the tuning device, thereby setting a plasmon frequency of plasmon polaritons in the plasmon resonance region to a desired plasmon frequency value within a plasmon frequency tuning interval, for resonance excitation of plasmon polaritons by incident electromagnetic waves of a frequency corresponding to the set plasmon frequency value.

Color derived from metallic nanostructures are often more efficient, more robust to environmental changes, and near impossible to damage or bleach due to overexposure. The embodiments combine these advantages with the millisecond re-configurability of liquid crystals to actively control a reflective color of a metallic nanostructure. Of the current technologies that boast active color tunability, many are pigmentation based (e-ink in e-readers) and/or need seconds to change color (photonic ink, electrochromic materials). Speed is an advantage of the embodiments and is comparable to current liquid crystal displays (˜120 Hz). Traditional LC displays use static polymer films (color filters) and white back light to generate color. Being able to actively tune the color from a single metallic nanostructure allows for smaller pixel size, increased resolution, and decreased fabrication cost compared to a conventional RGB color pixel without needing external white light source for extremely low power operations.

An optical diode (1) comprising an optical wave guide for guiding light, preferably of a light mode, with a vacuum wavelength λ.sub.0, wherein the optical wave guide has a wave guide core (2, 3, 14) with a first index of refraction (n.sub.1), and the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) is surrounded by at least one second optical medium which has at least one second index of refraction (n2), wherein n.sub.1>n.sub.2 applies, wherein the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) has at least in sections a smallest lateral dimension (7) which is a smallest dimension of a cross section (6) perpendicular to a propagation direction (5) of the light in the wave guide core (2, 3, 14), wherein the smallest lateral dimension (7) is greater than or equal to λ.sub.0/(5*n.sub.1) and less than or equal to 20*λ.sub.0/n.sub.1, wherein the optical diode (1) additionally comprises at least one absorber element (10, 11, 15, 16) which is arranged in a near field, wherein the near field consists of the electromagnetic field of the light of the vacuum wavelength λ.sub.0 in the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) and outside of the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) up to a standard interval (12) of 5*λ.sub.0, wherein the standard interval (12) is measured starting from one surface (8) of the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) forming an optical interface and in a direction perpendicular to the surface (8). The invention provides that the at least one absorber element (10, 11, 15, 16) for the light of the vacuum wavelength λ.sub.0 has a strongly different absorption for left circular polarization (σ.sup.−) and the right circular polarization (σ.sup.+).

A wavelength multiplexing device is disclosed. When light is irradiated on a first longitudinal end region of a metal nano-structure, surface plasmon polaritons are generated in the first longitudinal end region. The surface plasmon polaritons and the light are coupled with each other to form first coupled surface plasmon polaritons, wherein the first coupled surface plasmon polaritons propagate along and on a surface of the metal nano-structure. When the first coupled surface plasmon polaritons reach a two-dimensional material layer, excitions are induced in the two-dimensional material layer, wherein the induced excitions and the first coupled surface plasmon polaritons are coupled with each other to form second coupled surface plasmon polaritons. The second coupled surface plasmon polaritons propagate along and on a surface of the metal nano-structure toward a second longitudinal end thereof.

Disclosed is a method to modify the superconductive properties of a potentially or effectively superconductive material. The method includes providing a reflective or photonic structure and placing said superconductive material in or on the structure. The method also includes providing a structure which has an electromagnetic mode which is resonant with a transition in the material and controlling, in particular enhancing, the superconductivity, and thus the mobility of the charge carriers. This results in a higher operating temperature and an increased electrical current in the material, by means of strongly coupling the material to the local electromagnetic vacuum field and exploiting the formation of states of spatial extension corresponding to the mode volume of the electromagnetic resonance. Also disclosed is an electronic, electro-optical or optoelectronic device including superconductive material located in or on a reflective or photonic structure.

An optoelectronic device (20) includes thin film structures (56) disposed on a semiconductor substrate (54) and patterned to define components of an integrated drive circuit, which is configured to generate a drive signal. A back end of line (BEOL) stack (42) of alternating metal layers (44, 46) and dielectric layers (50) is disposed over the thin film structures. The metal layers include a modulator layer (48), which contains a plasmonic waveguide (36, 99, 105) and a plurality of electrodes (30, 32, 34, 96, 98, 106), which apply a modulation to surface plasmons polaritons (SPPs) propagating in the plasmonic waveguide in response to the drive signal. A plurality of interconnect layers are patterned to connect the thin film structures to the electrodes. An optical input coupler (38, 82) is configured to couple light into the modulator layer, whereby the light is modulated by the modulation of the SPPs, and an optical output coupler (38, 82) is configured to couple the modulated light out of the modulator layer.