Structural colors and enhanced resolution at the nanoscale: Local structuring of phase-change materials using focused ion beam

Abstract: In the past few years, phase-change materials have become increasingly important in nano-photonics and optoelectronics. The advantages of sizeable optical contrast between phases and the additional degree of freedom from phase switching have been the driving force. From multilevel reflectance to dynamic nanoprinting and structural colors, phase-change materials have achieved outstanding results with prospects for real-world applications. The local crystallization/amorphization of phase-change materials and the corresponding reflectance tunning by the crystallized/amorphized region size have potential applications for future dynamic display devices. Although the resolution is much higher than current display devices, the pixel sizes in those devices are limited by the locally switchable structure size. Here, we reduce the spot sizes further by using ion beams instead of laser beams and dramatically increase the pixel density, demonstrating the capability of having superior resolution. In addition, the power to sputter away materials can be utilized in creating nanostructures with relative height differences and local contrast. Our experiment focuses on one archetypal phase-change material, Sb$_2$Se$_3$, prepared by pulsed-laser deposition on a reflective gold substrate. We demonstrate that we can produce structural colors and achieve reflectance tunning by focused ion beam milling/sputtering of phase change materials at the nanoscale. Furthermore, we show that the local structuring of phase-change materials by focused ion beam can be used to produce high pixel density display devices with superior resolutions.