Metafocusing by a Metaspiral Plasmonic Lens

We designed and realized a metasurface (manipulating the local geometry) spiral (manipulating the global geometry) plasmonic lens, which fundamentally overcomes the multiple efficiency and functionality challenges of conventional in-plane plasmonic lenses. The combination of spirality and metasurface achieves much more efficient and uniform linear-polarization-independent plasmonic focusing. As for functionality, under matched circularly polarized illumination the lens directs all of the power coupled to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) into the focal spot, while the orthogonal polarization excites only diverging SPPs that do not penetrate the interior of the lens, achieving 2 orders of magnitude intensity contrast throughout the entire area of the lens. This optimal functional focusing is clearly demonstrated by near-field optical microscopy measurements that are in excellent agreement with simulations and are supported by a detailed theoretical interpretation of the underlying mechanisms. Our results advance the field of plasmonics toward functional detection and the employment of SPPs in smart pixels, near-field microscopy, lithography, and particle manipulation.