Novel Spin-Decoupling Strategy in Liquid Crystal-Integrated Metasurfaces for Interactive Metadisplays

Symmetric spin-orbit interaction (SOI)-based approaches apply a practical limit on helicity multiplexed metaoptics, i.e., center symmetric information encoding. Contrarily, asymmetric SOI's based on the combination of geometric and propagation phase-delay approaches can effectively address such limitations for multifunctional multiplexed metaoptics on the cost of design complexities. In this paper, a simple asymmetric SOI-based technique is realized for multifunctional metaoptics, employing only a single unit cell, breaking the conventional tradeoff between design complexity and efficient asymmetric transmission efficiency. The design approach depends on geometric phase alone, which eases the fabrication challenges and decreases the computational cost associated with previous asymmetric SOI-based metaoptics. Furthermore, this study utilizes a new, low-cost CMOS-compatible material to optimize the proposed single unit cell for low loss and high transmission efficiency over the complete visible domain. On-axis and off-axis holographic metasurfaces are designed and integrated with pressure-sensitive liquid crystal cells to demonstrate actively tunable metaholography with no limitation of center symmetric information encoding. The simple design technique, cost-effective fabrication, and finger touch-enabled holographic output switching make this integrated setup a potential candidate for many applications such as smart safety labeling, motion or touch recognition, and interactive displays for impact monitoring of precious artworks and products.

Automated summary

This study presents a simple asymmetric spin-orbit interaction (SOI)-based technique for multifunctional metaoptics. It uses a single unit cell and relies on geometric phase, reducing fabrication challenges and computational costs. A new low-cost material is used to optimize the transmission efficiency. The integrated system, which includes off-axis holographic metasurfaces and pressure-sensitive liquid crystal cells, allows for actively tunable metaholography without limitations on center symmetric information encoding. The design, fabrication, and interactive capabilities make this setup a potential candidate for various applications.