Observation of Bloch Surface Waves in the Mid-Infrared Spectral Range

We present the observation of Bloch Surface Waves in the mid-infrared spectral range. A dielectric multi-layer coating made of ZnSe and YbF 3 deposited on a CaF2 substrate is designed and fabricated specifically for that purpose. The structure supports the propagation of surface waves between 6.6 and 10.6 micrometres wavelength. A tunable quantum cascade laser setup is used to characterize the fabricated structure.