In this talk, we describe our experimental progress toward a laboratory link demonstration using electronically programmable beam steering metasurfaces as a proof-of-concept for implementing optical communications links with no moving parts. First, we fabricate plasmonic gate-tunable conducting oxide metasurfaces and study the beam quality of the light reflected from the metasurface. Next, we describe the design of a free-space optical communications transceiver and detail our experimental progress. The developed technologies could be instrumental for implementing inter-satellite links as well as information networks on the Moon, Mars, and beyond, needed for robotic and/or human solar system exploration.
Space-time metasurfaces employ a spatial and temporal phase-gradient to impart momentum to input light in space and frequency. In this work, we used a reflective gate-tunable ITO-based metasurface operating at 1530 nm to generate diffraction of frequency-shifted light up to 1 MHz. Our device consists of an array of interdigitated plasmonic nanoantennas with two electrical contacts that are modulated with identical electrical waveforms, time-delayed by half a period, to diffract frequency-shifted light. The simultaneous control of spatial and spectral properties of light enabled by space-time metasurfaces is highly desired in applications such as LiDAR, LiFi, and space communication.
Laser communications hold the potential to bring internet-like speeds (exceeding Gb/s) to data transmission in space. One of the major challenges of the laser communications is the necessity to accurately direct narrow beams. In the present talk, we discuss how electrically reconfigurable active metasurfaces can address this challenge. We perform an optical link budget analysis and discuss how the link range can be extended by increasing the aperture diameter or the input optical power. To assess maximal available output powers from realistic metasurface-based apertures, we experimentally probe the gate-tunable performance of indium tin oxide (ITO)-based active metasurfaces upon high-power illumination.
A grand challenge for nanophotonics is the realization of tunable metasurfaces enabling active control of the key constitutive properties of light – amplitude, phase, wavevector and polarization. Active metasurfaces that enable dynamic modulation of reflection amplitude, phase and polarization have been recently explored using several active materials and modulation phenomena, including carrier index in plasmonic ENZ structures, reorientation of liquid crystal molecules, electrooptic effects in quantum well heterostructures and index change in phase change materials. The rapid advances in understanding of exciton resonances in layered van der Waals materials has now stimulated thinking about active metasurfaces that exploit excitonic modulation phenomena to enable ‘van der Waals active metasurfaces. As one example, I will describe recent advances in electrically reconfigurable polarization conversion across the telecommunication wavelength range in van der Waals layered materials, integrated in a Fabry-Pérot cavity. These results have broad implications for the use of monolayer materials in active metasurfaces, and I also will give a general outlook for the wide range of possibilities for active metasurfaces based on 2D material heterostructures.
Chip-scale beam steering units, which would replace currently used mechanical gimbals, could revolutionize the field of free space optical communications. We review chip-scale technologies, which enable electronic beam reconfigurations and steering without mechanically moving parts. We assess the feasibility of using different electrically steerable apertures such as active metasurfaces and optical phased arrays for laser communications. Our optical link budget analysis shows that, for metasurface apertures of 1 cm in diameter and input powers of 5 W, the free space link range can approach ~ 10,000 km. We also provide an outlook how the link range can be increased further.
Metasurfaces form a powerful approach to realizing compact and lightweight optical elements, which can be integrated into smart glasses and head-mounted displays. In this talk, we explore the opportunities that arise with electronically programmable active metasurfaces, which are simultaneously modulated in both space and time. Using electro-optical effects, our group has previously demonstrated metasurfaces that control the spatial features of light. By doing so, we have been able to realize multifunctional optical elements that can achieve beam focusing and steering with a high signal-to-noise ratio.1,2 However, in this quasi-static operation regime, the applied signal is not varied in time. The introduction of time modulation additionally allows the creation of higher-order frequency harmonics that provide control over the spectral content of the scattered light. We implement time-modulated metasurfaces by integrating an indium tin oxide (ITO) based, electro-optically tunable metasurface operating at 1550 nm into a radiofrequency network. Each metasurface element is modulated at up to 100 MHz to generate frequency harmonics that are well separated from the central frequency. With the use of additional nonresonant phase shifters, we engineer space-time modulated wavefronts that allow us to control a four-dimensional design space. Finally, we demonstrate a metasurface architecture consisting of interdigitated subarrays that are independently controlled using distinct spatiotemporal phase fronts. With this, we are able to demonstrate simultaneous and independent shaping of beams at distinct frequencies using a single chip. We foresee that this technology will have direct implications on the future of multi-channel optical communication networks used in AR/VR systems.
We report an all-dielectric active metasurface based on indium phosphide (InP) multiple quantum wells (MQWs) operating at telecom wavelengths (λ=1.55μm). Our design exhibits high reflectance of >80% and is based on localized Mie supported by the metasurface. Our calculations show that the proposed metasurface can steer the beam up to polar angles of 35° while maintaining high efficiency of >80% and a side mode suppression ratio of 7 dB. The anticipated modulation frequencies are >1 MHz. Our metasurface can be used in future chip-scale light detection and ranging systems as well as for free-space optical communications.
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