The subject of our research are ordered nanostructures and new materials used primarily in photonics. Our research on metamaterials, plasmonic structures and photonic crystals includes the study of their electromagnetic properties, the search for new geometries and materials and possible applications. One of the main tasks is to design metamaterials, plasmonic and photonic-crystal structures for applications in the visible range. For this purpose, we use different numerical tools such as finite element, finite difference, plane wave expansion, and Green function methods.

An additional important task consists of the search for and characterization of better low-loss materials (metallic alloys, inter-metallic compounds, doped semiconductors or transparent metallic films) for plasmonic and metamaterial structures. One possible solution could be the use of graphene and graphene-based nanostructures with their extraordinary properties and promising applications both in photonics and electronics.

Our study of graphene comprises fabrication of flakes, characterization, calculations of electronic and optical properties, simulations of electromagnetic field propagation through graphene-based structures and atomic force microscope patterning using standard and anodic oxidation lithography. For characterization of all nanostructure materials we use various optical spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy techniques. A special emphasis is on the role of spectroscopic ellipsometry as a valuable tool for nanostructure characterization.