Reconfigurable all-dielectric metalens with diffraction limited performance

TL;DR

This paper introduces a reconfigurable all-dielectric metalens using phase change materials, achieving diffraction-limited performance, high efficiency, and large tuning range for active metasurfaces at mid-infrared wavelengths.

Contribution

It presents a novel design principle and implementation of an active metasurface with full phase tunability and diffraction-limited performance using low-loss phase change materials.

Findings

Achieved focusing efficiencies above 20% in both states

Demonstrated a record large switching contrast ratio of 29.5 dB

First experimental demonstration of a non-mechanical active metalens with diffraction-limited imaging

Abstract

Active metasurfaces, whose optical properties can be modulated post-fabrication, have emerged as an intensively explored field in recent years. The efforts to date, however, still face major performance limitations in tuning range, optical quality, and efficiency especially for non mechanical actuation mechanisms. In this paper, we introduce an active metasurface platform combining phase tuning covering the full 2$\pi$ range and diffraction-limited performance using an all-dielectric, low-loss architecture based on optical phase change materials (O-PCMs). We present a generic design principle enabling switching of metasurfaces between two arbitrary phase profiles and propose a new figure-of-merit (FOM) tailored for active meta-optics. We implement the approach to realize a high-performance varifocal metalens operating at 5.2 $\mu$m wavelength. The metalens is constructed using Ge2Sb2Se4Te1 (GSST), an O-PCM with a large refractive index contrast ($\Delta$ n > 1) and unique broadband low-loss characteristics in both amorphous and crystalline states. The reconfigurable metalens features focusing efficiencies above 20% at both states for linearly polarized light and a record large switching contrast ratio of 29.5 dB. We further validated aberration-free imaging using the metalens at both optical states, which represents the first experimental demonstration of a non-mechanical active metalens with diffraction-limited performance.