Reversible Thermal Tuning of All‐Dielectric Metasurfaces

All‐dielectric metasurfaces provide a powerful platform for a new generation of flat optical devices, in particular, for applications in telecommunication systems, due to their low losses and high transparency in the infrared. However, active and reversible tuning of such metasurfaces remains a challenge. This study experimentally demonstrates and theoretically justifies a novel scenario of the dynamical reversible tuning of all‐dielectric metasurfaces based on the temperature‐dependent change of the refractive index of silicon. How to design an all‐dielectric metasurface with sharp resonances by achieving interference between magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole modes of constituted nanoparticles arranged in a 2D lattice is shown. Thermal tuning of these resonances can cause drastic but reciprocal changes in the directional scattering of the metasurface in a spectral window of 75 nm. This change can result in a 50‐fold enhancement of the radiation directionality. This type of reversible tuning can play a significant role in novel flat optical devices including the metalenses and metaholograms.     

All‐Dielectric Programmable Huygens' Metasurfaces

Low‐loss nanostructured dielectric metasurfaces have emerged as a breakthrough platform for ultrathin optics and cutting‐edge photonic applications, including beam shaping, focusing, and holography. However, the static nature of their constituent materials has traditionally limited them to fixed functionalities. Tunable all‐dielectric infrared Huygens' metasurfaces consisting of multi‐layer Ge disk meta‐units with strategically incorporated non‐volatile phase change material Ge₃Sb₂Te₆ are introduced. Switching the phase‐change material between its amorphous and crystalline structural state enables nearly full dynamic light phase control with high transmittance in the mid‐IR spectrum. The metasurface is realized experimentally, showing post‐fabrication tuning of the light phase within a range of 81% of the full 2π phase shift. Additionally, the versatility of the tunable Huygen's metasurfaces is demonstrated by optically programming the spatial light phase distribution of the metasurface with single meta‐unit precision and retrieving high‐resolution phase‐encoded images using hyperspectral measurements. The programmable metasurface concept overcomes the static limitations of previous dielectric metasurfaces, paving the way for “universal” metasurfaces and highly efficient, ultracompact active optical elements like tunable lenses, dynamic holograms, and spatial light modulators.     

Nonvolatile Reconfigurable Phase‐Change Metadevices for Beam Steering in the Near Infrared

The development of flat, compact beam‐steering devices with no bulky moving parts is opening up a new route to a variety of exciting applications, such as LIDAR scanning systems for autonomous vehicles, robotics and sensing, free‐space, and even surface wave optical signal coupling. In this paper, the design, fabrication and characterization of innovative, nonvolatile, and reconfigurable beam‐steering metadevices enabled by a combination of optical metasurfaces and chalcogenide phase‐change materials is reported. The metadevices reflect an incident optical beam in a mirror‐like fashion when the phase‐change layer is in the crystalline state, but reflect anomalously at predesigned angles when the phase‐change layer is switched into its amorphous state. Experimental angle‐resolved spectrometry measurements verify that fabricated devices perform as designed, with high efficiencies, up to 40%, when operating at 1550 nm. Laser‐induced crystallization and reamorphization experiments confirm reversible switching of the device. It is believed that reconfigurable phase‐change‐based beam‐steering and beam‐shaping metadevices, such as those reported here, can offer real applications advantages, such as high efficiency, compactness, fast switching times and, due to the nonvolatile nature of chalcogenide phase‐change materials, low power consumption.     

Hollow‐Out Patterning Ultrathin Acoustic Metasurfaces for Multifunctionalities Using Soft fiber/Rigid Bead Networks

Acoustic metasurfaces that can manipulate and control sound waves at 2D subwavelength scales open new avenues to unusual applications, such as asymmetric transmission, super‐resolution imaging, and particle manipulation. However, the long‐standing goals of pushing frontier metamaterials research into real practice are still severely constrained by cumbersome configuration, large acoustic loss, and rigid structure of the existing metamaterials. An ultrathin metasurface (10–300 µm in thickness, up to ≈λ/650, λ the wavelength) that is capable of imparting sound wave with a nontrivial phase shift with high transmittance (>80%) in the range of 5–30 kHz is fabricated here. The metasurface is comprised of a porous network of soft polymer fiber/rigid beads that are physically equivalent to crosslinked spring‐mass resonators. Moreover, the traditional paper‐cutting art to carve the ultrathin metasurface into hollow‐out patterns is incorporated, resulting in a variety of remarkable functions, including acoustic vortex, focusing, and super‐resolution. The hollow‐out patterning approach innovates the traditional one‐step metadevice fabrication process into two separated steps: 1) fabrication of ultrathin metasurfaces; 2) hollow‐out patterning of metasurfaces. The strategy opens an avenue to mass production of acoustic metadevices, shedding light on the applications of the metamaterials in acoustic cloaking, acoustic positioning, and particle manipulation.     

Transmission‐Reflection‐Integrated Multifunctional Coding Metasurface for Full‐Space Controls of Electromagnetic Waves

Digital coding metasurfaces are aimed at simplifying the design and optimization procedures, and manipulating electromagnetic waves in digital manner. In this paper, a multilayered anisotropic coding metasurface is designed to realize multiple independent functionalities by changing the polarization and direction of incident waves. As a proof of concept, the beam deflection, diffuse scattering, and vortex beam generation are realized by using only a single transmission‐reflection‐integrated (TRI) coding metasurface. This design can achieve three different functionalities and simultaneous controls of transmitted and reflected wavefronts on a shared aperture with the TRI coding scheme. Both numerical and measured results verify the excellent performance of the multifunctional digital coding metasurface, which provides a simple way to extend the functionality of high‐efficiency metadevices.     

Thermosensitive Plasmonic Color Enabled by Sodium Metasurface

Active plasmonic nanostructures have attracted tremendous interest in nanophotonics and metamaterials owing to the dynamically switchable capabilities of plasmonic resonances. In this study, tunable hybrid plasmon resonances (HPR) of sodium metasurfaces through heat-initiated structural transformation is experimentally demonstrated. A HPR is formed by coupling surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) and gap plasmon resonances (GPR), whose resonant wavelengths are highly sensitive to gaseous nanogaps. By carefully manipulating the thermo-assisted spin-coating process and post-thermal treatment, tuning of the HPR is achieved because of the phase transition between the antidome and nanodome structural profiles of liquid sodium inside the patterned fused silica substrates. Furthermore, the figure of merit of the heat initiated variable structure-spectrum is demonstrated that is highly dependent on the size of the substrate patterns, based on which temperature-sensitive plasmonic color and “invisible ink” of sodium metasurfaces are demonstrated. These findings can lead to new solutions for manipulating low-cost and high-performance active plasmonic devices.     

Nanoparticle Direct Doping: Novel Method for Manufacturing Three‐Dimensional Bulk Plasmonic Nanocomposites

Metallodielectric materials with plasmonic resonances at optical and infrared wavelengths are attracting increasing interest, due to their potential novel applications in the fields of photonics, plasmonics and photovoltaics. However, simple and fast fabrication methods for three‐dimensional bulk plasmonic nanocomposites that offer control over the size, shape and chemical composition of the plasmonic elements have been missing. Here, such a manufacturing method and examples of experimental realizations of volumetric isotropic nanocomposites doped with plasmonic nanoparticles that exhibit resonances at visible and infrared wavelengths are presented. This method is based on doping a low‐melting dielectric material with plasmonic nanoparticles, using a directional glass‐solidification process. Transmission‐spectroscopy experiments confirm a homogenous distribution of the nanoparticles, isotropy of the material and resonant behavior. The phenomenon of localized surface plasmon resonance is also observed visually. This approach may enable rapid and cost‐efficient manufacturing of bulk nanoplasmonic composites with single or multiple resonances at various wavelength ranges. These composites could be isotropic or anisotropic, and potentially co‐doped with other chemical agents, in order to enhance different optical processes.     

Polarization and Holography Recording in Real- and k-Space Based on Dielectric Metasurface

The diverse design freedom and mechanisms of metasurfaces motivate the manipulation of polarization in an ultrashort distance with subwavelength resolution and make metasurfaces outperform conventional polarization optical elements. However, in order to enhance the information capability and encryption security of metasurface holograms, polarization manipulation together with multiplexing technologies are still highly desired. Here, a birefringent dielectric metasurface with the capability of encoding a grayscale image in real-space based on Malus's law by utilizing the inhomogeneous polarization distribution and realizing the reconstruction of a vectorial holographic image in k-space with the help of the phase profiles of different polarization components of output light is demonstrated. This novel functionality is realized by exploiting the manipulation of polarization and phase of output light simultaneously offered by the dielectric metasurface. The proposed method may enhance the information capability and security level of applications such as the anticounterfeiting and encryption.     

基于Ω型共形超颖表面的曲面全息

共形超颖表面可以打破物体几何形状与光学功能之间的限制,使散射波前得到任意的调制。文中展示了一种自适应的共形超颖表面,该超颖表面由非手性镜面对称的型金纳米天线组成,可以集成在任意形状的基底上,在可见光范围内（=450 nm）实现曲面全息。共形超颖表面的相位调制方法依赖于贝里相位,通过旋转纳米天线的方位角,可以在每个亚波长单元中进行连续的相位控制。这种共形超颖表面包裹在曲面拓扑物体上可以用于各种实际应用中,如曲面透镜聚焦、隐身和安全打印技术。     

High‐Temperature Large‐Scale Self‐Assembly of Highly Faceted Monocrystalline Au Metasurfaces

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) devices based on resonant metallic metasurfaces have shown disruptive potential for many applications including biosensing and photocatalysis. Despite significant progress, highly performing Au plasmonic nanotextures often suffer of suboptimal electric field enhancement, due to damping effects in multicrystalline domains. Fabricating well‐defined Au nanocrystals over large surfaces is very challenging, and usually requires time‐intensive multi‐step processes. Here, presented are first insights on the large‐scale self‐assembly of monocrystalline Au nano‐islands with tunable size and separation, and their application as efficient LSPR surfaces. Highly homogeneous centimeter‐sized Au metasurfaces are fabricated by one‐step deposition and in situ coalescence of hot nanoparticle aerosols into a discontinuous monolayer of highly faceted monocrystals. First insights on the mechanisms driving the high‐temperature synthesis of these highly faceted Au nanotextures are obtained by molecular dynamic and detailed experimental investigation of their growth kinetics. Notably, these metasurfaces demonstrat high‐quality and tunable LSPR, enabling the fabrication of highly performing optical gas molecule sensors detecting down to 3 × 10^?6 variations in refractive index at room temperature. It is believed that these findings provide a rapid, low‐cost nanofabrication tool for the engineering of highly homogenous Au metasurfaces for large‐scale LSPR devices with application ranging from ultrasensitive optical gas sensors to photocatalytic macroreactors.     

Radiation-Type Metasurfaces for Advanced Electromagnetic Manipulation

Manipulating the phase, polarization, and energy distribution of electromagnetic (EM) waves has facilitated numerous applications. Nowadays, metasurface provides an innovational scenario to carry out more promising and advanced control of EM waves. However, it is a great challenge to manipulate polarization, phase, and energy distribution simultaneously with a low profile. Herein, a class of single-layer radiation-type metasurfaces to achieve advanced EM manipulation is proposed. Desired EM functions can be achieved based on the geometric phase and resonant phase. Such metasurfaces enable the capability to manipulate arbitrary phases and linear polarization states simultaneously. Moreover, arbitrary energy distributions can be controlled. As examples of potential applications, three advanced EM functional devices are presented: a novel multiple-input multiple-output antenna with efficient crosstalk suppression and information encryption, an energy-controllable router, and a metasurface holographic imaging based on power transmission algorithm, respectively. The proposed strategy may open up an alternative way of controlling EM waves with advanced performance and minimalist complexity. Moreover, it may lead to advances in information encoding and cryptography.     

Full‐State Synthesis of Electromagnetic Fields using High Efficiency Phase‐Only Metasurfaces

A metasurface is a thin array of subwavelength elements with designable scattering responses, and metasurface holography is a powerful tool for imaging and field control. The existing metasurface holograms are classified into two types: one is based on phase‐only metasurfaces (including the recently presented vectorial metasurface holography), which has high power efficiency but cannot control the phases of generated fields; while the other is based on phase‐amplitude‐modulated metasurfaces, which can control both field amplitudes and phases in the region of interest (ROI) but has very low efficiency. Here, for the first time, it is proposed to synthesize the field amplitudes and phases in ROI simultaneously and independently by using high‐efficiency phase‐only metasurfaces. All points in ROI may have independent values of field amplitudes and phases, and the requirements for X and Y components may be different in achieving spatially varied polarization states. To this end, an efficient design method based on equivalent electromagnetic model and gradient‐based nonlinear optimization is proposed. Full‐wave simulations and experimental results demonstrate that the phase‐only metasurface designed by the method has 10 times higher efficiency than the phase‐amplitude‐modulated metasurface. This work opens a way to realize more complicated and high‐efficiency metasurface holography.     

On the modeling of metal strip antennas contiguous with the edge ofelectrically thick finite size dielectric substrates

A solution to the problem of radiation by a narrow metal strip antenna contiguous with the edge of a dielectric substrate is presented where the substrate has parameters such that its electrical thickness is appreciable. Such an antenna may be useful at millimeter wavelengths as an integrated phased array element forming a part of a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC). A suitable geometry for this application is illustrated and an efficient computational procedure developed. Comparisons with experimental results for the input impedance and far-field radiation patterns show excellent agreement. The influence of the dielectric substrate on the performance of an antenna designed to operate at approximately 60 GHz is discussed. Two examples, the first involving the analysis of a coplanar strip transmission line fed antenna and the second involving impedance matching and control of cross-polarized radiation using a folded strip dipole, are given to illustrate practical applications of the analytical method to design problems     

Laser-Empowered Random Metasurfaces for White Light Printed Image Multiplexing

Printed image multiplexing based on the design of metasurfaces has attracted much interest in the past decade. Optical switching between different images displayed directly on the metasurface is performed by altering the parameters of the incident light such as polarization, wavelength, or incidence angle. When using white light, only two-image multiplexing is implemented with polarization switching. Such metasurfaces are made of nanostructures perfectly controlled individually, which provide high-resolution pixels but small images and involve long fabrication processes. Here, it is demonstrated that laser processing of nanocomposites offers a versatile low-cost, high-speed method with large area processing capabilities for controlling the statistical properties of random metasurfaces, allowing up to three-image multiplexing under white light illumination. By independently controlling absorption and interference effects, colors in reflection and transmission can be varied independently yielding two-image multiplexing under white light. Using anisotropy of plasmonic nanoparticles, a third image can be multiplexed and revealed through polarization changes. The design strategy, the fundamental properties, and the versatility of implementation of these laser-empowered random metasurfaces are discussed. The technique, applied on flexible substrate, can find applications in information encryption or functional switchable optical devices, and offers many advantages for visual security and anticounterfeiting.     

Nanostructured Metallo‐Dielectric Quasi‐Crystals: Towards Photonic‐Plasmonic Resonance Engineering

The first evidence of out‐of‐plane resonances in hybrid metallo‐dielectric quasi‐crystal (QC) nanostructures composed of metal‐backed aperiodically patterned low‐contrast dielectric layers is reported. Via experimental measurements and full‐wave numerical simulations, these resonant phenomena are characterized with specific reference to the Ammann‐Beenker (quasi‐ periodic, octagonal) tiling lattice geometry and the underlying physics is investigated. In particular, it is shown that, by comparison with standard periodic structures, a moderately richer spectrum of resonant modes may be excited, due to the easier achievement of phase‐matching conditions endowed by its denser Bragg spectrum. Such modes are characterized by a distinctive plasmonic or photonic behavior, discriminated by their field distribution and dependence on the metal film thickness. Moreover, the response is accurately predicted via computationally affordable periodic‐approximant‐based numerical modeling. The enhanced capability of QCs to control number, spectral position, and mode distribution of hybrid resonances may be exploited in a variety of possible applications. To assess this aspect, label‐free biosensing is studied via characterization of the surface sensitivity of the proposed structures with respect to local refractive index changes. Moreover, it is also shown that the resonance‐engineering capabilities of QC nanostructures may be effectively exploited in order to enhance the absorption efficiency of thin‐film solar cells.     

Multistate Tuning of Third Harmonic Generation in Fano-Resonant Hybrid Dielectric Metasurfaces

Hybrid dielectric metasurfaces have emerged as a promising approach to enhancing near field confinement and thus high optical nonlinearity by utilizing low loss dielectric rather than relatively high loss metallic resonators. A wider range of applications can be realized if more design dimensions can be provided from material and fabrication perspectives to allow dynamic control of light. Here, tunable third harmonic generation (THG) via hybrid metasurfaces with phase change material Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) deposited on top of amorphous silicon metasurfaces is demonstrated. Fano resonance is excited to confine the incident light inside the hybrid metasurfaces, and an experimental quality factor (Q-factor ≈ 125) is achieved at the fundamental pump wavelength around 1210 nm. Not only the switching between a turn-on state of Fano resonance in the amorphous state of GST and a turn-off state in its crystalline state are demonstrated, but also gradual multistate tuning of THG emission at its intermediate states. A high THG conversion efficiency of η = 2.9 × 10⁻⁶% is achieved, which is 32 times more than that of a GST-based Fabry–Pèrot cavity under a similar pump laser power. Experimental results show the potential of exploring GST-based hybrid dielectric metasurfaces for tunable nonlinear optical devices.     

基于变换光学的微波加热用超表面数值研究

由于单个微波源的功率值有限,工业上往往采用多源微波加热以满足大功率需求。然而,额外 的微波馈口将增加端口间耦合,可能引起微波源损坏。因此,提出一种基于变换光学的新型超表面,使微波在 进入加热腔体的方向上正常传播而在相反方向被阻挡,从而减少功率反射和耦合。在二维数值模型中,采用 反向传播神经网络优化了超表面的介电性能,使得单源和双源微波加热的能量效率分别提高了42. 2%和53. 3%,且 均具有较好的加热均匀性。数值计算结果表明,超表面可工作在2. 45 GHz 频率,具有60 MHz 的带宽,工业应用前 景良好。     

非线性超构表面:谐波产生与超快调控

超构表面是指由亚波长结构构成的纳米光学天线阵列。在合适的激发条件下,纳米天线可以产生共振,实现近场增强,进而增强非线性光学效应。相较于传统非线性光学晶体,超构表面集成度较高,有利于实现小型化的高效非线性光源。由于光只传播亚波长的距离,针对非线性谐波产生等应用,超构表面具有无需考虑相位匹配的优势。此外,超构表面具有亚波长的空间分辨率,通过对结构单元的设计和排列,可以实现对非线性谐波的相位、偏振和振幅的灵活调控。该综述针对超构表面在光学频率转换、非线性波前调控以及超快全光调控等领域的国内外近期工作进行了总结,并对非线性超构表面在走向实际应用中面临的挑战和进一步的发展方向进行了展望。     

Plasmon Resonances in a Graphene Ribbon on a Finite-Size Dielectric Substrate

A 2D problem of the diffraction of plane electromagnetic wave by a graphene ribbon on a finitesize dielectric substrate is considered for the TM polarization. Rigorous numerical methods are used to calculate the scattering cross sections in the terahertz frequency range. It is shown that multipole resonances vanish in the scattering spectrum in the presence of a small substrate that represents a thin dielectric film.     

一种具有多种谐振模式的太赫兹超表面器件

设计了一种中心对称的分裂环形状超表面结构,该结构具有偏振不敏感和高品质因子的特性。通过理论和实验研究,深入分析了其谐振点的频谱特性,并确定了谐振峰的模式,包括LC、偶极和高阶谐振等。其中,几种高阶谐振模式表现出较高的高品质因数Q(约230),并且对超表面衬底材料的介电常数变化高度敏感。此外,还研究了具有不对称超表面结构的电磁性质,发现通过分别增加超表面结构沿水平轴(x轴)和垂直轴(y轴)的不对称性,可以产生和增强0.332 THz和0.210 THz的谐振。