TITANIDE

Project title: 3D Arrays of Sol-Gel TiO2 Mie Resonators, Elaboration and Exploration of Optical Performances
Topics: 3D photonic systems, Mie resonators, Titania, sol-gel chemistry and processing, nano imprint lithography.
Disciplinary fields: sciences & advanced technologies, energy
Summary: In the last decades, progresses in nanomaterial development led to the idea of plasmonic antennas based on metals and to a tremendous number of related applications in nano-photonics. Today, the very recent discovery of the possibility to couple light to siilicon-based sub-micrometric particles has opened the door to a novel generation of resonant photonic systems showing unique abilities to manipulate light in the near and far field.
Simulations and experiments have already demonstrated that classical and exotic optical properties can be obtained with unprecedented performances (e.g. perfect mirrors or absorbers, lenses, polarisers, etc.). The present project proposes to stretch beyond the potential of these dielectric Mie Resonators (MRs) and arrays by extending their development to Titania. TiO2 is a fantastic material, widely used for its unique physical-chemical properties, extreme stability, natural abundance, and non-toxicity. Because of its high refractive index and transparency over a large spectral range, it establishes itself as the best dielectric metal oxide for achieving various optical functionalities impossible to attain with energydissipative gold or silicon. Importantly, it is compatible with sol-gel chemistry and processes, which will be combined here with soft- Nano Imprint Lithography (NIL), both being compatible with high-throughput processing.
The TITANIDE project aims to develop extremely innovative optical systems through extending this first proof of concept and feasibility to vertical stacks of 2D arrays of sol-gel TiO2 resonators for the implementation of 3D photonic 2 structures. The fact that there will be a third dimension (transversal), where light will have the possibility to be coupled to additional layers of resonators, will bring additional levels to control light management. Interests of such 3D systems are tested for integrated optical elements, high-Q micro-cavities, light management in renewable solar energy, gas sensing and smart windows.
Project Interlocutor: Abbarchi Marco, IM2NP (UMR 7334)
Project duration: 04/01/2018 – 03/31/2021
Call for application: Emergence et Innovation 2016
Photography credit: Photo by Karine Germain on Unsplash, License