Hybrid high-index composite meta-structures with atomic layer-coated nanoparticle-embedded resin

Minseok Choi; Hyunjung Kang; Dohyun Kang; Joohoon Kim; Hongyoon Kim; Junhwa Seong; Seokwoo Kim; Junsuk Rho

doi:10.1186/s43074-025-00204-4

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Minseok Choi, Hyunjung Kang, Dohyun Kang, Joohoon Kim, Hongyoon Kim, Junhwa Seong, Seokwoo Kim, Junsuk Rho. Hybrid high-index composite meta-structures with atomic layer-coated nanoparticle-embedded resin[J]. PhotoniX. doi: 10.1186/s43074-025-00204-4

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Hybrid high-index composite meta-structures with atomic layer-coated nanoparticle-embedded resin

doi: 10.1186/s43074-025-00204-4

1.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
2.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
3.
Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
4.
POSCO-POSTECH-RIST Convergence Research Center for Flat Optics and Metaphotonics, Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
5.
National Institute of Nanomaterials Technology (NINT), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea

Funds: This work was financially supported by the POSCO-POSTECH-RIST Convergence Research Center program funded by POSCO, the Samsung Research Funding and Incubation Center for Future Technology grant (SRFC-IT1901-52) funded by Samsung Electronics, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) grant (RS-2024-00462912) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) of the Korean government., H.J.K. acknowledges the NRF Ph.D. fellowship (RS-2024-00407755) funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the Korean government. J.K. and H.Y.K. acknowledges the Asan Foundation Biomedical Science fellowship. M.C. H.J.K., J.K. and H.Y.K. acknowledges the Presidential Science fellowship funded by the MSIT of the Korean government. J.S. acknowledges the 3·1 Foundation fellowship.

Received Date: 2025-05-28
Accepted Date: 2025-10-12
Rev Recd Date: 2025-08-29

Available Online: 2025-10-31

Abstract

Abstract

Metasurfaces offer great potential to replace conventional optics by enabling multi-functionalities in compact form factors. However, their mass production remains at crossroads, as most materials compatible with scalable fabrication like nanoimprint lithography (NIL) exhibit relatively low refractive indices (~ 2), which limit metasurface performance and necessitate tall, high-aspect-ratio meta-atoms prone to bending and collapsing. To address these bottlenecks, we introduce a hybrid nanoparticle-embedded resin (nano-PER) structure that reduces meta-atom height and aspect ratio. By utilizing TiO₂ nano-PER as the core material with thin TiO₂ coatings, we can implement the optical properties of high refractive index with printable material, achieving a height reduction of over 27% and an aspect ratio reduction of more than 36% compared with conventional hybrid structures using nanoimprint resin. Despite the reduced dimensions, our meta-atoms exhibit high broadband properties, with an average conversion efficiency of over 72% across blue (450 nm), green (532 nm), and red (635 nm) wavelengths. Our design provides robustness in the fabrication process, demonstrated by producing a hyperbolic metalens via NIL and experimentally verifying its optical performance, with an average focusing efficiency of 51.23%. These findings mark an important advancement in scalable, high-performance metasurfaces, paving the way for their practical integration into optical applications.
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