Continuously Tunable Optical Modulation Using Vanadium Dioxide Huygens Metasurfaces

Efficient and dynamic light manipulation at small scaleis highlydesirable for many photonics applications. Active optical metasurfacesrepresent a useful way of achieving this due to their creative designpotential, compact footprint, and low power consumption, paving theway toward the realization of chip-scale photonic devices with tunableoptical functionality on demand. Here, we demonstrate a dynamicallytunable, dual-function metasurface based on dielectric resonancesin vanadium dioxide that is capable of independent active amplitudeand phase control without the use of mechanical parts. Significantdevelopments in the nanofabrication of vanadium dioxide have beenshown to enable this metasurface. Gradual thermal control of the metasurfaceyields a computationally predicted continuously tuned amplitude modulationof 19 dB with negligible phase modulation and a continuously tunedphase modulation of 228 & DEG; with negligible amplitude modulation,both at near-infrared wavelengths. Experimentally, a maximum continuouslytuned amplitude modulation of 9.6 dB and phase modulation of 120 & DEG;are shown, along with demonstration of stable intermediate statesand repeated modulation without degradation. Reprogrammable opticalfunctionality can thus be achieved in precisely engineered nanoantennaarrays for adaptive modulation of amplitude and phase of light forapplications such as tunable holograms, lenses, and beam deflectors.

Automated summary

Efficient and dynamic light manipulation at small scale can be achieved through active optical metasurfaces, which offer compact design and low power consumption. In this study, a dynamically tunable metasurface based on vanadium dioxide is demonstrated, allowing independent control of amplitude and phase without mechanical parts. The nanofabrication of vanadium dioxide enables computationally predicted continuously tuned amplitude and phase modulation. Experimental results show stable intermediate states and repeated modulation without degradation, indicating the potential for reprogrammable optical functionality.