Abstract: The invention disclosed herein generally relates to wideband resonant polarizers that require extremely small amounts of matter in their embodiments. These polarizers can be made with dielectric materials such that light and other electromagnetic waves interacting with them suffer essentially no absorptive loss. This new class of polarizers is fashioned with dielectric or semiconductor nano/microwire grids that are mostly empty space if surrounded by air or vacuum. It is fundamentally and practically extremely significant that the wideband spectral expressions presented herein can be generated in these minimal systems. These ultra-sparse polarizers are useful in various spectral regions for numerous useful applications.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for spectrally dense comb-like filters fashioned with thick-guided-mode resonant gratings. A guided-mode resonance (GMR) filter has a film having a thickness many times larger than a wavelength of operation and the film has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The GMR filter further has a periodic pattern on the first surface of the film and an antireflection layer on the second surface of the film.

Abstract: Disclosed is a new class of wideband reflectors that are relatively insensitive to deviations from the design parameters. The reflectors are materially sparse while providing high reflectance across wide spectral bands. In some embodiments, a device comprises a substrate and a grating layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the grating layer comprises a periodic grating structure and a sublayer beneath the grating structure and adjacent to the substrate, the grating layer and the sublayer having the same index of refraction. These compact, low-loss elements complement conventional thin-film reflectors while possessing properties not available in thin-film multilayer stacks. The reflectors are based on a fundamental resonance effect, the guided-mode resonance effect, that occurs in periodic structures. Disclosed herein are both one-dimensional and two-dimensional reflectors m zero-contrast embodiments.

Abstract: In one aspect, optical devices and components are described herein. In some embodiments, a device comprises a substrate and a grating layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the grating layer comprises a periodic grating structure and a sublayer beneath the grating structure and adjacent the substrate. In some cases, the sublayer has a small thickness compared to the wavelength of light incident on and/or coupled into the device. For example, the sublayer of a device described herein can have a thickness of less than about 200 nm. Moreover, devices and components described herein can exhibit both guided-mode resonance (GMR) effects and a Rayleigh anomaly and can be used to provide various optical components such as optical couplers, substrate wave couplers, and flat-top angular reflectors or flat-top angular filters.

Abstract: A leaky-mode resonant retarder is described. The retarder may include a substrate and a spatially modulated periodic layer coupled to the substrate, where the spatially modulated periodic layer is configured to shift a phase between two perpendicular electric-field components of incident light. The retarder may operate as a half-wave plate or a quarter-wave plate.

Abstract: Mechanically tunable electromagnetic and photonic devices featuring enhanced spectral tunability with minimal mechanical movement are provided. These nano/micro-electromechanically (N/MEMS) tunable elements, including filters and pixels, rely on leaky-mode resonance effects in subwavelength photonic lattices that constitute periodic wavelengths. Such elements can operate in reflection (bandstop) or transmission (bandpass) modes, and can be arranged in one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays, or operated as single units, and their spectral regions are controlled by the element design. Input electromagnetic radiation illuminates the element and is then filtered, modulated, analyzed or tuned by the element. Mechanical motion alters the structural symmetry, and therefore, the tuning properties, of the nanostructured subwavelength resonance elements.

Abstract: In one aspect, optical devices and components are described herein. In some embodiments, a device comprises a substrate and a grating layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the grating layer comprises a periodic grating structure and a sublayer beneath the grating structure and adjacent the substrate. In some cases, the sublayer has a small thickness compared to the wavelength of light incident on and/or coupled into the device. For example, the sublayer of a device described herein can have a thickness of less than about 200 nm. Moreover, devices and components described herein can exhibit both guided-mode resonance (GMR) effects and a Rayleigh anomaly and can be used to provide various optical components such as optical couplers, substrate wave couplers, and flat-top angular reflectors or flat-top angular filters.

Abstract: A method for delaying transmitted light. The method may include illuminating a leaky-mode resonant element with light pulses of short duration and sequences of such pulses. The leaky-mode resonant element may include a spatially modulated periodic layer and may be configured so that at least some of the light is transmitted in a delayed manner.

Abstract: Optical devices with versatile spectral attributes are provided that are implemented with one or more modulated and homogeneous layers to realize leaky-mode resonance operation and corresponding versatile spectral-band design. The first and/or higher multiple evanescent diffraction orders are applied to excite one or more leaky modes. The one- or two-dimensional periodic structure, fashioned by proper distribution of materials within each period, can have a resulting symmetric or asymmetric profile to permit a broadened variety of resonant leaky-mode devices to be realized. Thus, the attributes of the optical device permit, among other things, adjacent, distinct resonance frequencies or wavelengths to be produced, convenient shaping of the reflection and transmission spectra for such optical device to be accomplished, and the wavelength resonance locations to be precisely controlled so as to affect the extent to which the leaky modes interact with each other.

Abstract: Waveguide gratings, biosensors, and methods of using a waveguide grating, including as a biosensor.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for spectrally dense comb-like filters fashioned with thick-guided-mode resonant gratings. A guided-mode resonance (GMR) filter has a film having a thickness many times larger than a wavelength of operation and the film has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The GMR filter further has a periodic pattern on the first surface of the film and an antireflection layer on the second surface of the film.

Abstract: Waveguide gratings, biosensors, and methods of using a waveguide grating, including as a biosensor.

Abstract: A guided mode resonance (GMR) sensor that can be used to simultaneously detect an array of analytes. It provides a diagnostic system that can rapidly detect an array of biomarker proteins in patient samples (such as blood, serum or plasma for example) which can be used as an accurate means to conduct a differential analysis of proteins that allows the discrimination of early and late stages of disease, such as metastatic versus primary ovarian serous carcinomas. The GMR sensor can be provided in a compact size such that it can be portable.

Abstract: A guided mode resonance (GMR) sensor assembly and system are provided. The GMR sensor includes a waveguide structure configured for operation at or near one or more leaky modes, a receiver for input light from a source of light onto the waveguide structure to cause one or more leaky TE and TM resonant modes and a detector for changes in one or more of the phase, waveshape and/or magnitude of each of a TE resonance and a TM resonance to permit distinguishing between first and second physical states of said waveguide structure or its immediate environment.

Abstract: A guided mode resonance (GMR) sensor assembly and system are provided. The GMR sensor includes a waveguide structure configured for operation at or near one or more leaky modes, a receiver for input light from a source of light onto the waveguide structure to cause one or more leaky TE and TM resonant modes and a detector for changes in one or more of the phase, waveshape and/or magnitude of each of a TE resonance and a TM resonance to permit distinguishing between first and second physical states of said waveguide structure or its immediate environment.

Abstract: A leaky-mode resonant retarder is described. The retarder may include a substrate and a spatially modulated periodic layer coupled to the substrate, where the spatially modulated periodic layer is configured to shift a phase between two perpendicular electric-field components of incident light. The retarder may operate as a half-wave plate or a quarter-wave plate.

Abstract: A method for delaying transmitted light. The method may include illuminating a leaky-mode resonant element with light pulses of short duration and sequences of such pulses. The leaky-mode resonant element may include a spatially modulated periodic layer and may be configured so that at least some of the light is transmitted in a delayed manner.

Abstract: Multilevel leaky-mode optical elements, including reflectors, polarizers, and beamsplitters. Some of the elements have a plurality of spatially modulated periodic layers coupled to a substrate. For infrared applications, the optical elements may have a bandwidth larger than 600 nanometers.

Abstract: Optical devices with versatile spectral attributes are provided that are implemented with one or more modulated and homogeneous layers to realize leaky-mode resonance operation and corresponding versatile spectral-band design. The first and/or higher multiple evanescent diffraction orders are applied to excite one or more leaky modes. The one- or two-dimensional periodic structure, fashioned by proper distribution of materials within each period, can have a resulting symmetric or asymmetric profile to permit a broadened variety of resonant leaky-mode devices to be realized. Thus, the attributes of the optical device permit, among other things, adjacent, distinct resonance frequencies or wavelengths to be produced, convenient shaping of the reflection and transmission spectra for such optical device to be accomplished, and the wavelength resonance locations to be precisely controlled so as to affect the extent to which the leaky modes interact with each other.

Abstract: Optical devices with versatile spectral attributes are provided that are implemented with one or more modulated and homogeneous layers to realize leaky-mode resonance operation and corresponding versatile spectral-band design. The first and/or higher multiple evanescent diffraction orders are applied to excite one or more leaky modes. The one- or two-dimensional periodic structure, fashioned by proper distribution of materials within each period, can have a resulting symmetric or asymmetric profile to permit a broadened variety of resonant leaky-mode devices to be realized. Thus, the attributes of the optical device permit, among other things, adjacent, distinct resonance frequencies or wavelengths to be produced, convenient shaping of the reflection and transmission spectra for such optical device to be accomplished, and the wavelength resonance locations to be precisely controlled so as to affect the extent to which the leaky modes interact with each other.