• Jostmeier, Thorben
• Karl, Helmut
• Krenner, Hubert J.
• Betz, Markus
• Zimmer, Johannes

Abstract

We investigate the optical and thermal hysteresis of single-domain vanadium dioxide nanocrystals fabricated by ion beam synthesis in a fused silica matrix. The nanocrystals exhibit a giant hysteresis, which permits to optically generate a long-time stable supercooled metallic phase persistent down to practically room temperature. Spatial patterns of supercooled and insulating nanocrystals feature a large dielectric contrast, in particular, for telecom wavelengths. We utilize this contrast to optically imprint reconfigurable photonic elements comprising diffraction gratings as well as on- and off-axis zone plates. The structures allow for highly repetitive (>104) cycling through the phase transition without structural damage.

Topics

• nanocomposite
• phase
• phase transition
• vanadium