A new invisibility cloak was recently proposed for hiding objects in front of a highly reflecting mirror. This cloak requires only modest values of optical constants with minimal anisotropy and thus can be implemented by using non-resonant dielectric materials, making it an ideal system for optical frequency operation. We implemented the cloak using an array of silicon nanorods fabricated by electron-beam lithography. We then directly visualized the cloaking effect by monitoring the light propagation inside the device using the near-field optical microscopy.
The ∼1540 nm I13/24 to I15/24 Er3+ photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra of Er-implanted Mg-doped GaN reveal a selective enhancement of one of the nine different Er3+ centers observed previously in PL and PLE studies of Er-implanted undoped GaN. These Er3+ PL spectra are excited selectively by pump wavelengths that correspond to broadband, below-gap absorption bands associated with different Er3+ centers. In the Er-implanted, Mg-doped GaN, both the 1540 nm PL spectrum characteristic of the so-called violet-pumped Er3+ center and the ∼2.8–3.4 eV (violet) PLE band that enables its selective excitation are significantly enhanced by Mg doping. In addition, the violet-pumped PL center dominates the above-gap-excited Er3+ PL spectrum of Er-implanted Mg-doped GaN, whereas it was nearly unobserveable under above-gap excitation in Er-implanted undoped GaN. These results confirm our hypothesis that appropriate codopants can increase the efficiency of trap-mediated above-gap excitation of Er3+ emission in Er-implanted GaN.
Site-selective photoluminescence (PL) spectra obtained at 6 K from the 1540 nm I413/2→I415/2 emissions characteristic of four distinct Er3+ centers in Er-implanted films of GaN are compared with the Er3+ PL excited by 325 nm above-gap pump light. Two of the site-selective 1540 nm Er3+ PL spectra pumped by below-gap, trap-mediated excitation bands dominate the Er3+ PL spectrum excited by above-gap light. A third broad band-excited spectrum and a fourth spectrum pumped by direct Er3+ 4f-band absorption are apparently not strongly excited by above-gap light. These results indicate that trap-mediated excitation dominates above-gap pumping of Er3+ emission in GaN:Er, and suggest an explanation for the reduced thermal quenching of Er3+ emission in GaN.
Photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopies have been carried out at 6 K on the 1540 nm I13/24→I15/24 emission of Er3+ in Er-implanted films of GaN grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The PLE spectra exhibit several broad below-gap absorption bands, which excite three distinct site-selective Er3+ PL spectra. The excitation of two of the site-selective Er PL bands involves optical absorption by defects or background impurities, rather than direct intra-f shell absorption, with subsequent nonradiative transfer of the energy to nearby Er3+ luminescence centers. The characteristics of the PLE spectrum of the third site-selective PL band suggest that an exciton bound at an Er-related trap is involved in the excitation mechanism.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.