Flexible but Refractory Single-Crystalline Hyperbolic Metamaterials

The fabrication of flexible single-crystalline plasmonic or photonic components in a scalable way is fundamentally important to flexible electronic and photonic devices with high speed, high energy efficiency, and high reliability. However, it remains a challenge. Here, we have successfully synthesized flexible single-crystalline optical hyperbolic metamaterials by directly depositing refractory nitride superlattices on flexible fluorophlogopite-mica substrates with magnetron sputtering. Interestingly, these flexible hyperbolic metamaterials show dual-band hyperbolic dispersion of dielectric constants with small dielectric losses and high figures of merit in the visible to near-infrared ranges. More importantly, the optical properties of these nitride-based flexible hyperbolic metamaterials show remarkable stability during 1000 degrees C heating or after being bent 1000 times. Therefore, the strategy developed in this work offers an easy and scalable route for fabricating flexible, high-performance, and refractory plasmonic or photonic components, which can significantly expand the applications of current electronic and photonic devices.

Automated summary

Flexible single-crystalline plasmonic or photonic components are synthesized by depositing refractory nitride superlattices on flexible fluorophlogopite-mica substrates. These flexible materials exhibit dual-band hyperbolic dispersion of dielectric constants with low dielectric losses and high figures of merit in the visible to near-infrared ranges. The optical properties of these nitride-based materials remain stable even after exposure to high temperature or repeated bending, making them ideal for flexible electronic and photonic devices.