Topological insulator based Tamm plasmon polaritons
Hua Lu,
Yangwu Li,
Zengji Yue,
Dong Mao,
Jianlin Zhao
Affiliations
Hua Lu
MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Yangwu Li
MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Zengji Yue
Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, Squires Way, North Wollongong, New South Wales 2500, Australia
Dong Mao
MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Jianlin Zhao
MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Topological insulators as relatively new quantum materials with the topologically protected conducting Dirac surface state reveal fantastic electronic and photonic characteristics. The photonic behaviors of topological insulators are particularly significant for exploring their optical phenomena and functional devices. Here, we present the generation of Tamm plasmon polaritons (TPPs) in a topological insulator multilayer structure consisting of a Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.8Se1.2 (BSTS) nanofilm and a one-dimensional photonic crystal (PC). The results illustrate that the TPP electric field can locally concentrate between the BSTS nanofilm and PC, contributing to the improved light-BSTS interaction with a 3-fold enhancement of light absorption. It is also found that the near-infrared TPP response can be dynamically tailored by adjusting the PC layer thickness, BSTS nanofilm thickness, and angle of incident light. The theoretical calculations are in excellent agreement with the numerical simulations. Additionally, the TPP field intensity and light-topological insulator interaction are capable of being further reinforced by introducing a dielectric spacer between the BSTS nanofilm and PC. Our results will enrich the optical characteristics and application potential of topological insulators.