Dual-polarization beam steering with a low-loss reconfigurable Sb₂Se₃-based metasurface

The laser phased array radar has attracted considerable attention for its application potential in areas such as imaging under extreme weather conditions, meteorological monitoring, and autonomous driving. Dynamically tunable metamaterials offer an effective approach to achieving miniaturized and highly reliable optical phased arrays. In this study, we propose a dual-polarization reconfigurable metasurface based on Sb₂Se₃. The design employs voltage-controlled Joule heating to induce phase transitions in Sb₂Se₃, while air-gap structures between unit cells are introduced to suppress thermal crosstalk. At a wavelength of 1550 nm, the metasurface achieves dual-polarization 2π phase modulation, a beam steering angle of up to 65˚, and a minimum reflectance of 53%. Compared with previous works, our design not only enables dual-polarization beam steering but also offers a broader phase modulation range, wider steering angles, and higher reflectance. The precise control of both phase and polarization demonstrates strong potential to enhance the performance and environmental adaptability of LiDAR systems and paves the way for practical applications of dynamic metasurfaces in optical imaging and sensing.