Professors Xiuling Li and Daniel Wasserman have developed an optical architecture which integrates a metallic film with subwavelength apertures into semiconductor material. Unlike other optical architectures, these Buried Extraordinary Optical Transmission structures enhance optical transmission while reducing reflectivity. The "buried" metal film is capable of providing a near-uniform lateral voltage/current distribution over the surface of a device, while also capable of controlling and potentially enhancing the coupling of incident radiation into the device. Because of these properties, the structures have potential for a broad range of next-generation light-emitting and detecting optoelectronic devices.
