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GHz-Speed Wavefront Shaping Metasurface Modulators Enabled by Resonant Electro-Optic Nanoantennas
Sahil Dagli1, Jiyong Shim1, Hamish Carr Delgado1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|July 27, 2025
Summary
This study presents electro-optic metasurfaces for high-speed light modulation and wavefront shaping. These devices offer GHz modulation bandwidth and efficient control for advanced optical applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Nanotechnology
- Optoelectronics
- Metamaterials
Background:
- Metasurfaces offer compact optical modulation but often face bandwidth and efficiency limitations.
- Existing electro-optic platforms struggle to achieve high modulation speeds and wavefront control simultaneously.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop electro-optically tunable metasurfaces with GHz amplitude modulation and transmissive wavefront shaping capabilities.
- To explore the potential of resonant electro-optic nanoantennas for high-performance optical devices.
Main Methods:
- Designed a metasurface using silicon nanobars on thin-film lithium niobate with gold electrodes.
- Utilized guided mode resonances in the nanobar, tuned by voltage-biased lithium niobate's refractive index.
- Investigated modulation dependence on resonance quality factor and electrode limitations on bandwidth.
Main Results:
- Achieved absolute transmittance modulation of 7.1% with ±5 V bias.
- Demonstrated modulation bandwidth exceeding 800 MHz for amplitude modulation.
- Showcased a beamsplitting metasurface with 1.03 GHz modulated diffraction efficiency.
Conclusions:
- The resonant nanoantenna platform enables high-speed modulation and wavefront control.
- These metasurfaces are foundational for compact, high-bandwidth free-space communication and sensing devices.
