Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications最新文献

{"title":"Geometry-driven broadband absorption enhancement in optimized stacked silicon nanowires","authors":"Mehrnaz Faraji,&nbsp;Mohammad Reza Salehi,&nbsp;Seyedeh Leila Mortazavifar","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101628","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101628","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ultrathin photovoltaic absorbers need a fine control of geometry, material fabrication and optical coupling pathways to achieve broadband and polarization-independent light absorption. A systematic design framework is introduced on the basis of particle swarm optimization to design silicon nanowire arrays that would maximize both field confinement and carrier generation. The design evolution begins with elliptical nanowires and progresses to stadium-shaped and hybrid core–shell nanowire geometries. Cross-stacked and asymmetric designs have been shown to exhibit better optical coupling and even field distribution, whereas the combination of crystalline- amorphous silicon core-shell structures with the optimization of anti-reflective coatings offers improved impedance matching and spectral response over a wide band.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101628"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148770600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sensing performance of dual-scale phoxonic crystals based on defect states","authors":"Yu-Di Gui,&nbsp;Miao Tian,&nbsp;Jia-Nan Mou,&nbsp;Lei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101640","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101640","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A dual-scale phoxonic crystal sensing structure based on defect states is designed, and its acousto-optical sensing performance is numerically analyzed via the finite element method. First, the lattice parameters are optimized such that simultaneous photonic and phononic bandgap characteristics are exhibited by the structure within a specific frequency range, and efficient localization of acousto-optic energy is realized via defect states. It is revealed from the analysis of the acoustic and optical transmission spectrum that when the defect cavity is filled with solutions of 1-propanol, sodium chloride, and glucose at different concentrations, the resonant wavelength and frequency are regularly shifted in accordance with the changes in the refractive index and sound velocity of the solutions. It is indicated by the simulation results that a maximum optical sensitivity of 1036.83 nm/RIU (glucose solution) and a maximum acoustic sensitivity of 1.183 MHz/(m·s⁻¹) (sodium chloride solution) are achieved by the sensor, along with excellent quality factor and figure of merit performance. Potential deviations in the fabrication of the sensor structure are taken into account, and the robustness of the sensor within a certain deviation range is verified by introducing random displacement. The accuracy and stability of solution concentration measurements are significantly enhanced by this structure through the synergistic detection of acoustic and optical modes, with a high-precision detection solution provided for the field of biochemical sensing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101640"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149043703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patterning optical focusing by microassemblies of nanospheres and nanocraters in dielectric film","authors":"Yu.E. Geints,&nbsp;I.V. Minin,&nbsp;O.V. Minin","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101609","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101609","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The problem of patterning the optical focusing by microassemblies of nanospheres and nanocraters embedded in a dielectric film is theoretically studied. Despite extensive research with long history, the scattering of optical waves by periodic spatial structures continues to attract significant scientific interest. Using numerical simulation, we demonstrate that spatial non-resonant modulation of the incident field due to Fresnel diffraction and Talbot-assisted field localization creates periodic subwavelength foci near microassemblies. These regions emerge due to phase inhomogeneities formed by ordered microassemblies of scatterers (nanospheres and nanocraters). Our study explores various configurations of microassemblies, including different lattice types and particle arrangements, and investigates their impact on optical focusing properties. Particularly, the assembly of nanocraters with lattice vacancies at the corners can form a localized remote focus at an extreme distance of about 12λ. The assembly of nanospheres with vacancies located on the sides creates an equidistant chain of intense foci with similar characteristics. The results contribute to the development of novel approaches for controlling light-matter interaction at the nanoscale and open new possibilities for practical applications in photonics and optoelectronics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101609"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148544302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of Sn, Ag, and Sn–Ag doped La₂O₃ nanoparticles for photocatalytic applications","authors":"R. Viji,&nbsp;R. Dilip,&nbsp;N. Sivakumar,&nbsp;N. Naveena,&nbsp;N. Ravikumar","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101588","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101588","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The photocatalytic nanomaterials with efficient performance for environment remediation are required due to the continuous increment of the discharge of dye contaminated wastewater. In the present study, pure and metal doped (Sn-doped, Ag-doped and SnAg co-doped) La₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and the effect of dopants on the structural, optical, morphological and photocatalytic properties was studied. This work is novel because of the pristine, single-doped and co-doped La₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized under the same conditions but subsequently systematically evaluated and compared in terms of defect state density and photocatalytic properties, with a focus on the synergistic effect of Sn and Ag co-doping on defect state density and photocatalytic behaviour. The XRD pattern shown clearly that the formation of hexagonal La₂O₃ with some lattice strain and the presence of secondary phases of SnO/SnO₂ with small amount and Ag₂O. The crystalline size was increased with the addition of doping and some minor changes occurs in La–O vibrational bands in FTIR spectra by doping. The photoluminescence results of the doped samples showed that the defect-related emissions increased, which means that there is higher recombination of charge carriers. The values of bandgap for the SnO₂ nanoparticles were obtained by UV–Visible DRS analysis, which ranged from 4.2 to 4.7 eV, the lowest being for SnAg co-doped nanoparticles. Morphological transition from spherical to rod like and mixed was shown by FESEM images and elemental compositions was confirmed by EDAX. The photocatalytic activity was further tested with methylene blue dye and the results showed that pure La₂O₃ sample exhibited the best degradation efficiency of 89% while doped samples exhibited relatively low degradation efficiency because of the increased recombination effect. The results indicates that the type of the dopant and co-doping has a significant effect on the physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of La₂O₃ nanoparticles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101588"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148544774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of metallic mixing ratio on anisotropic coherent control of surface plasmon polaritons","authors":"Jabir Khan,&nbsp;Yazan Al-Alem,&nbsp;Fahhad H. Alharbi,&nbsp;Hazrat Ali","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metamaterials are engineered sub-wavelength structures designed to provide unusual electromagnetic properties, not found in natural materials. In particular, due to its direction-dependent nature, an anisotropic metamaterial (AMM) can provide precise control of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), enabling high field confinement and strong light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. In this work, we theoretically investigate the impacts of metallic content on the coherent control of SPPs at AMM/dielectric interfaces. The considered structure consists of alternating metal and dielectric layers, where the dielectric permittivity is described by a three-level <span><math><mrow><mi>Λ</mi><mo>−</mo></mrow></math></span>type atomic system. From the perspective of coherent control, we analyze the dispersion relation, wavelength, and propagation length of SPPs under the influence of a probe detuning (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>Δ</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>p</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>) and a control field <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>Ω</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>c</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>. It is found that the increase in the metallic content, represented by the filling factor (<span><math><mi>α</mi></math></span>), leads to significant enhancements in the dispersion and absorption spectrum of the SPPs, while reducing their wavelength and propagation length. These findings show that SPPs behavior can be controlled by engineering both the structural composition and the quantum coherence of the system, offering new possibilities for tunable plasmonic devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101611"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148643115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dielectric-environment tuning of surface plasmon resonance in ZnO/Au-NPs /ZnO nanostructures: Refractive-index sensitivity and optoelectronic figure of merit","authors":"Faycal Djeffal,&nbsp;Adel Bendejrad,&nbsp;AbdelHamid Benhaya,&nbsp;Maamar Haffas,&nbsp;Abdelali Saidi,&nbsp;Nicolas Martin","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101650","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101650","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) engineering has emerged as an effective strategy for tailoring the optical response of plasmonic nanostructures. In this work, ZnO/Au nanoparticle/ZnO nanostructures were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering and thermal annealing, followed by the deposition of ZnO capping layers with thicknesses of 0, 5, 15, and 25 nm. Thermal treatment at 500 °C for 30 min induced the formation of plasmonically active Au nanoparticles through solid-state dewetting of the Au layer. The influence of ZnO capping-layer thickness on the structural, morphological, optical, electrical, and plasmonic properties was systematically investigated using XRD, SEM, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and Hall-effect measurements. Increasing the ZnO capping thickness promoted nanoparticle encapsulation and dielectric confinement, resulting in a pronounced LSPR red shift from 597 to 633 nm and an increase in peak absorption from 28.67% to 62.91%, in good agreement with the numerical data. The structures preserved the wide-bandgap characteristics of ZnO, with optical bandgaps close to 3.9 eV, while an apparent refractive-index sensitivity of approximately 43.7 nm/RIU was achieved. Moreover, the sheet resistance decreased from 95 to 58 Ω/sq and the electron mobility increased from 26 to 34 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ using effective Hall mobility. A new optoelectronic–plasmonic figure of merit (FoM_OP) was introduced to evaluate the combined optical and electrical performance, showing an approximately 3.6-fold improvement for the 25 nm ZnO-capped structure. These findings demonstrate that ZnO capping-layer engineering provides a simple and scalable route for optimizing plasmonic and electrical properties, making these nanostructures promising for sensing, photonic, and optoelectronic applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101650"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149043701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamic dual-channel terahertz wave array modulation enabled by thermally responsive reconfigurable metasurfaces","authors":"Shuai Cui,&nbsp;Yuxin Fan,&nbsp;Sheng Fu,&nbsp;Shengyu Qu,&nbsp;Yang Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101626","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101626","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work proposes an innovative reconfigurable dual-channel thermal responsive metasurface based on the phase change material vanadium dioxide (VO₂). Through temperature control, the meta-atoms can be reconfigured via the phase change of VO₂, thereby enabling dynamic modulation of electromagnetic waves. Furthermore, the concept of geometric phase is introduced to control the phase gradient of the meta-atoms and to design the structure arrangement, thus realizing a metasurface for bidirectional anomalous beam deflection, a vortex beam generator, and terahertz holography. The novel thermal reconfigurable metasurface proposed in this study opens new avenues in the fields of dynamic control of electromagnetic waves, optical communication, and information encryption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101626"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148770670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spin-decoupled metasurface for dual-channel holographic imaging and polarization-independent perfect absorption","authors":"Yang Liu,&nbsp;Hengli Feng,&nbsp;Wenqiang Shi,&nbsp;HongYan Meng,&nbsp;Jue Wang,&nbsp;XingYue Li,&nbsp;JunGuo Lu,&nbsp;Yachen Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101654","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tunable metasurfaces have attracted considerable attention for dynamic wavefront manipulation because of their capability to integrate multiple electromagnetic functions into compact devices. However, the integration of spin-decoupled dual-channel holography and electromagnetic absorption within a single metasurface platform has received limited attention. Such a metasurface provides a promising platform for applications in optical encryption, holographic displays, and sensor systems. In this work, we propose a multifunctional spin-decoupled metasurface by incorporating vanadium dioxide (VO₂) and graphene, allowing transition between dual-channel holographic imaging and polarization-insensitive perfect absorption. When VO₂ is in the metallic phase, the metasurface functions as a spin-decoupled dual-channel hologram. The proposed metasurface exhibits high robustness for dual-channel holographic imaging over the operating frequency range, with average imaging efficiencies exceeding 76% for both channels. When VO₂ transitions to the insulating phase, the holographic response is suppressed, while the graphene layer dominates the electromagnetic response, resulting in polarization-insensitive perfect absorption from 0.6 to 1 THz. The proposed metasurface provides a simple and compact platform for integrating dynamic holographic imaging and electromagnetic absorption, offering potential applications in information encryption, optical storage, and multifunctional terahertz devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101654"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149153842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unidirectional transverse scattering in acoustic dimers","authors":"Mikhail Smagin,&nbsp;Iuliia Timankova,&nbsp;Pavel Pankin,&nbsp;Yong Li,&nbsp;Mihail Petrov","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101594","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We study unidirectional transverse scattering in a two-dimensional acoustic dimer composed of two circular subwavelength scatterers. Using a coupled multipole model, we show that interparticle coupling enables effective monopole–dipole interference and supports a transverse Kerker effect under plane-wave excitation. In contrast to a single non-absorbing rotationally symmetric particle, where Kerker-type directional scattering is only approached in the weak-scattering limit, the dimer can combine pronounced directionality with strong overall scattering. This regime is promising for compact acoustic beam steering and directional wave routing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101594"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148544309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Better light harvesting in solar cells using plasmonic wire grating structures","authors":"Aswathy P. Vijayan,&nbsp;Bindu Krishnan,&nbsp;Navas Meleth Puthoor","doi":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101606","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.photonics.2026.101606","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To enhance light harvesting, plasmonic nanostructures of different materials, shapes, and sizes have been introduced at various interfaces of a typical solar cell. In this work, we are proposing a solar cell structure with an Aluminium grating structure at the interface of the active layer and the back electrode, and submerged inside the active layer. We have worked with the perovskite material MAPbI₃ as the active substrate. COMSOL Multiphysics is used for simulation studies employing the Finite Element method (FEM). While analyzing the behavior of electromagnetic radiation in layers above and below the embedded grating, we observed light localization, diffraction effects, and redirection of light to the absorbing layer, which could lead to increased light harvesting. The effect of grating constant on the electric field and absorption relative to the angle of incidence is studied. The dependence of electric field enhancement as a function of the radius of the grating wire is also noted. In each case, we have analyzed the plots of the absorption and reflection coefficients. Aluminum is the most commonly used back cathode material in solar cells. Hence, introducing nanorods of Aluminum plasmonic array as a continuation of this layer makes this work unique, economically highly adaptable to existing manufacturing facilities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49699,"journal":{"name":"Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 101606"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148544314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}