Electrically tunable multifunctional metasurface for integrating phase and amplitude modulation based on hyperbolic...

Area of Science:

• Nanophotonics
• Metasurface Technology
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Active metasurfaces offer enhanced control over light scattering compared to conventional ones.
• There is a growing demand for expanded functionalities in metasurfaces to enable integrated optical devices.
• Tunable nanophotonic structures are crucial for advanced applications in imaging, sensing, and data storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an electrically tunable metasurface capable of independently modulating the phase and amplitude of reflected light.
• To demonstrate a device that controls light modulation based on the angle of incidence and wavelength.
• To overcome limitations of space constraints and enable integration of optical devices on a single platform.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a resonance-based device with a hyperbolic metamaterial substrate.
• Employing indium tin oxide for electrically tunable optical properties in the near-infrared spectrum.
• Investigating the modulation of phase and amplitude of reflected light at various incidence angles and a targeted wavelength (1450 nm).

Main Results:

• The proposed metasurface achieves ~207 degrees of phase modulation depth for normal incidence at 1450 nm.
• Demonstrates ~86% relative reflectance change for oblique incidence at 60 degrees.
• The device excites different highly confined modes based on the incident angle.

Conclusions:

• The developed electrically tunable metasurface provides independent control over phase and amplitude modulation.
• This technology offers a pathway towards next-generation ultracompact integrated optical systems.
• The findings highlight the potential of active metasurfaces for advanced photonic applications.