Transmission-reflection-integrated metasurface for full-space, six-channel, and polarization-multiplexed holography

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Metamaterials Science
• Information Optics

Background:

• Metasurfaces offer advanced control over light propagation.
• Achieving multiple independent holographic channels in a single device remains a challenge.
• Polarization multiplexing is a key technique for increasing information capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a transmission-reflection-integrated metasurface (TRIM) enabling six independent holographic channels.
• To demonstrate simultaneous reconstruction of multiple distinct holograms.
• To explore TRIM as a platform for high-capacity holography and optical information processing.

Main Methods:

• Designed a metasurface architecture combining transmission and reflection pathways with polarization multiplexing.
• Utilized orthogonal receiving-transmitting elements and rotatable dual crossbars for bidirectional reflection.
• Employed Rayleigh-Sommerfeld (RS) diffraction theory and the Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) algorithm for holographic reconstruction.

Main Results:

• Achieved six fully independent holographic channels across the spatial domain.
• Demonstrated high transmission/reflection efficiency (>0.9) and complete 2π phase modulation for each channel.
• Experimentally validated simultaneous reconstruction of three distinct holograms (vector letters, anisotropic numbers, spin-decoupled patterns).

Conclusions:

• The proposed TRIM provides a compact and versatile platform for advanced optical applications.
• TRIM effectively suppresses inter-channel crosstalk through structural anisotropy, frequency selectivity, and shielding.
• This work paves the way for multifunctional meta-optics and high-capacity holographic systems.