An epsilon-near-zero-based nonlinear platform for ultrafast re-writable holography

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel ultrathin indium tin oxide film that, when excited at epsilon-near-zero frequencies, enables efficient, reconfigurable, and ultrafast all-optical holography and computation with high diffraction efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a new epsilon-near-zero-based platform for ultrafast, reconfigurable holography using a simple, thin ITO film, surpassing traditional materials in speed and simplicity.

Findings

Achieves over 3% diffraction efficiency across 300 nm bandwidth.

Uses a film four orders of magnitude thinner than conventional holographic materials.

Operates up to six orders of magnitude faster than standard holographic media.

Abstract

We re-examine real-time holography for all-optical structuring of light and optical computation using a contemporary material: a subwavelength-thick, spatially unstructured film of indium tin oxide (ITO). When excited by spatially structured light at epsilon-near-zero frequencies, the film acts as an efficient and reconfigurable diffractive optical platform for all-optical modulation of light such as spatial structuring and optical computations. We demonstrate a few percent of absolute diffraction efficiency over greater than 300 nm bandwidth around telecom wavelengths using a film four orders of magnitude thinner than and up to six orders of magnitude faster than standard holographic materials. Our findings highlight the potential of using epsilon-near-zero-based nanostructures for efficient modulation of spatially structured light and rapid prototyping without complex nanofabrication processes.