2D Dirac-Cone Metamaterials

Metamaterials are synthetic composite materials that exhibit properties not found in natural materials. This invention describes the fabrication of Dirac-cone metamaterials, with potential applications in a number of promising areas, including nonlinear optics, electro-optical modulators, and as a zero-index coupler. A key advantage is the ability to fabricate the metamaterial in a variety of configurations, including square array, or triangular array, or any other two dimensional photonic crystal. The dielectric materials of the pillars can be silicon, silicon nitride, or any other dielectric materials. Compared with existing classes of metamaterials, the key advantages of Dirac-cone metamaterials include: 1) broad application in integrated, on-chip optics, 2) ease of fabrication and 3) consistent unit cells. This approach solves the difficulty of phase matching, which is a key challenge of nonlinear optics. It also achieves ultralow drive voltage and an extremely small footprint (as small as 3x3 microns).

Intellectual Property Status: Patent(s) Pending