Electro-Optically Tunable Universal Metasurfaces

TL;DR

This paper presents a reconfigurable, electro-optically tunable metasurface capable of dynamically controlling light wavefronts for diverse optical functions like beam steering and focusing, all in a compact, chip-scale device.

Contribution

It introduces a universal, electronically-controlled metasurface that can perform multiple optical functions without moving parts, advancing programmable nanophotonics.

Findings

Demonstrated dynamic beam steering and reconfigurable focusing.

Achieved optical control via electro-optical phase modulation.

Proved device's capability for diverse optical functions.

Abstract

Molding the flow of light at the nanoscale has been a grand challenge of nanophotonics for decades. It is now widely recognized that metasurfaces represent a chip-scale nanophotonics array technology capable of comprehensively controlling the wavefront of light via appropriately configuring subwavelength antenna elements. Here, we demonstrate a reconfigurable metasurface that is universal, i.e., notionally capable of providing diverse optical functions in the telecommunication wavelength regime, using a compact, lightweight, electronically-controlled array with no moving parts. By electro-optical control of the phase of the scattered light from identical individual metasurface elements, we demonstrate a single prototype universal programmable metasurface that is capable of both dynamic beam steering and reconfigurable light focusing using one single device. Reconfigurable universal metasurfaces with arrays of tunable optical antennas thus can perform arbitrary optical functions by programmable array-level control of scattered light phase, amplitude, and polarization, similar to dynamic and programmable memories in electronics.