Electrically Tunable Multifunctional All-Dielectric Metasurfaces Integrated with Liquid Crystals in the Visible

TL;DR

This paper presents an electrically tunable all-dielectric metasurface integrated with liquid crystals, enabling dynamic control of light polarization, intensity, and focus in the visible spectrum for advanced optical applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel packaging scheme combining liquid crystals with dielectric metasurfaces for dynamic, multifunctional optical modulation in the visible range.

Findings

Achieved continuous intensity tuning and switching of helicity channels.

Designed switchable metaholograms and multicolor multiplexed holograms.

Developed dynamic varifocal metalenses for versatile optical control.

Abstract

As two-dimensional metamaterials, metasurfaces open up new avenues for designing static planar optics. However, the dynamic modulation of metasurfaces in the optical band is required for practical applications. The existing dynamic devices rarely utilized the polarization manipulation capability of metasurfaces. Here, we demonstrate an electrically tunable multifunctional metasurface in the visible range by integrating birefringent liquid crystals (LCs) with all-dielectric metasurfaces based on a novel packaging scheme. By combining the helicity-dependent geometric phase of the metasurface and the polarization control ability of LC molecules, continuous intensity tuning and switching of two helicity channels are realized. Electrically tunable single-channel switchable metaholograms, multicolor multiplexed metaholograms, and dynamic varifocal metalenses are designed to verify the concept. The exploration of polarization control in dynamic tuning can pave the way for dynamic metasurface devices in various applications, such as space light modulators, light detection and ranging systems, and holographic displays.