Hybrid bound states in the continuum in terahertz metasurfaces

Bound states in the continuum(BICs)have exhibited extraordinary properties in photonics for enhanced light-matter interactions that enable appealing applications in nonlinear optics,biosensors,and ultrafast optical switches.The most common strategy to apply BICs in a metasurface is by breaking symmetry of resonators in the uniform array that leaks the otherwise uncoupled mode to free space and exhibits an inverse quadratic relationship between quality factor(Q)and asymmetry.Here,we propose a scheme to further reduce scattering losses and improve the robustness of symmetry-protected BICs by decreasing the radiation density with a hybrid BIC lattice.We observe a significant increase of radiative Q in the hybrid lattice compared to the uniform lattice with a factor larger than 14.6.In the hybrid BIC lattice,modes are transferred toГpoint inherited from high symmetric X,Y,and M points in the Brillouin zone that reveal as multiple Fano resonances in the far field and would find applications in hyperspectral sensing.This work initiates a novel and generalized path toward reducing scattering losses and improving the robustness of BICs in terms of lattice engineering that would release the rigid requirements of fabrication accuracy and benefit applications of photonics and optoelectronic devices.

Tailoring spatiotemporal dynamics of plasmonic vortices

Plasmonic vortices confining orbital angular momentums to surface have aroused wide research interest in the last decade.Recent advances of near-field microscopes have enabled the study on the spatiotemporal dynamics of plasmonic vortices,providing a better understanding of optical orbital angular momentums in the evanescent wave regime.However,these works only focused on the objective characterization of plasmonic vortex and have not achieved subjectively tailoring of its spatiotemporal dynamics for specific applications.Herein,it is demonstrated that the plasmonic vortices with the same topological charge can be endowed with distinct spatiotemporal dynamics by simply changing the coupler design.Based on a near-field scanning terahertz microscopy,the surface plasmon fields are directly obtained with ultrahigh spatiotemporal resolution,experimentally exhibiting the generation and evolution divergences during the whole lifetime of plasmonic vortices.The proposed strategy is straightforward and universal,which can be readily applied into visible or infrared frequencies,facilitating the development of plasmonic vortex related researches and applications.

Active-Thermal-Tunable Terahertz Absorber with Temperature-Sensitive Material Thin Film

It is shown that active-tunable terahertz absorbers can be realized in a sandwich-structured system comprising an ultrathin dielectric film(polyimide) on a temperature-sensitive substrate(InSb) with a metal film on the back by utilizing the intrinsic carrier density(N) variation in InSb. When increasing the temperature from 250 to 320 K, N in InSb varied from ～5.50×1015 to ～2.98×1016 cm–3. Fixing the thickness of dielectric film with the value of 1.37 μm, the absorption peak shifted from 1.41 to 3.29 THz while keeping absorption higher than 99%. This active tunability can respond to even a slight temperature perturbation, and shows polarization insensitivity as well as high tolerance of incidence-angle(absorption peak can still exceed 90% even the incidence angle reaches 60°). Besides, the refractive index of polyimide(PI) has thermal stability at the terahertz range and the merit of good workability. These characteristics guarantee the stability of activetunable performance. The peculiarities and innovations of this proposal promise a wide range of high efficiency terahertz devices, such as thermal sensors, spatial light modulators(SLMs) and so on.

Recent progress in graphene terahertz modulators

Graphene has been recognized as a promising candidate in developing tunable terahertz(THz)functional devices due to its excellent optical and electronic properties,such as high carrier mobility and tunable conductivity.Here,we review graphene-based THz modulators we have recently developed.First,the optical properties of graphene are discussed.Then,graphene THz modulators realized by different methods,such as gate voltage,optical pump,and nonlinear response of graphene are presented.Finally,challenges and prospective of graphene THz modulators are also discussed.

Active terahertz beam steering based on mechanical deformation of liquid crystal elastomer metasurface

Active metasurfaces are emerging as the core of next-generation optical devices with their tunable optical responses and flat-compact topography.Especially for the terahertz band,active metasurfaces have been developed as fascinating devices for optical chopping and compressive sensing imaging.However,performance regulation by changing the dielectric parameters of the integrated functional materials exhibits severe limitations and parasitic losses.Here,we introduce a C-shape-split-ring-based phase discontinuity metasurface with liquid crystal elastomer as the substrate for infrared modulation of terahertz wavefront.Line-focused infrared light is applied to manipulate the deflection of the liquid crystal elastomer substrate,enabling controllable and broadband wavefront steering with a maximum output angle change of 22°at 0.68THz.Heating as another control method is also investigated and compared with infrared control.We further demonstrate the performance of liquid crystal elastomer metasurface as a beam steerer,frequency modulator,and tunable beam splitter,which are highly desired in terahertz wireless communication and imaging systems.The proposed scheme demonstrates the promising prospects of mechanically deformable metasurfaces,thereby paving the path for the development of reconfigurable metasurfaces.

On-chip terahertz orbital angular momentum demultiplexer

The terahertz regime is widely recognized as a fundamental domain with significant potential to address the demands of next-generation wireless communications.In parallel,mode division multiplexing based on orbital angular momentum(OAM)shows promise in enhancing bandwidth utilization,thereby expanding the overall communication channel capacity.In this study,we present both theoretical and experimental demonstrations of an on-chip terahertz OAM demultiplexer.This device effectively couples and steers seven incident terahertz vortex beams into distinct high-quality focusing surface plasmonic beams,and the focusing directions can be arbitrarily designated.The proposed design strategy integrates space-to-chip mode conversion,OAM recognition,and on-chip routing in a compact space with subwavelength thickness,exhibiting versatility and superior performance.

Asymmetric frequency multiplexing topological devices based on a floating edge band

Topological photonics provides a platform for robust energy transport regardless of sharp corners and defects.Recently,the frequency multiplexing topological devices have attracted much attention due to the ability to separate optical signals by wavelength and hence the potential application in optical communication systems.Existing frequency multiplexing topological devices are generally based on the slow light effect.However,the resulting static local spatial mode or finely tuned flat band has zero-group velocity,making it difficult for both experimental excitation and channel out-coupling.Here,we propose and experimentally demonstrate an alternative prototype of asymmetric frequency multiplexing devices including a topological rainbow and frequency router based on floating topological edge mode(instead of localized ones);hence the multiple wavelength channels can be collectively excited with a point source and efficiently routed to separate output ports.The channel separation in our design is achieved by gradually tuning the band gap truncation on a topological edge band over a wide range of frequencies.A crucial feature lies in that the topological edge band is detached from bulk states and floating within the upper and lower photonic band gaps.More interestingly,due to the sandwiched morphology of the edge band,the top and bottom band gaps will each truncate into transport channels that support topological propagation towards opposite directions,and the asymmetrical transportation is realized for the frequency multiplexing topological devices.

Mechanically reprogrammable Pancharatnam-Berry metasurface for microwaves

Metasurfaces have enabled the realization of several optical functionalities over an ultrathin platform,fostering the exciting field of flat optics.Traditional metasurfaces are achieved by arranging a layout of static meta-atoms to imprint a desired operation on the impinging wavefront,but their functionality cannot be altered.Reconfigurability and programmability of metasurfaces are the next important step to broaden their impact,adding customized on-demand functionality in which each meta-atom can be individually reprogrammed.We demonstrate a mechanical metasurface platform with controllable rotation at the meta-atom level,which can implement continuous Pancharatnam–Berry phase control of circularly polarized microwaves.As the proof-of-concept experiments,we demonstrate metalensing,focused vortex beam generation,and holographic imaging in the same metasurface template,exhibiting versatility and superior performance.Such dynamic control of electromagnetic waves using a single,low-cost metasurface paves an avenue towards practical applications,driving the field of reprogrammable intelligent metasurfaces for a variety of applications.

Generating superposed terahertz perfect vortices via a spin-multiplexed all-dielectric metasurface

Perfect optical vortices(POVs),characterized as a ring radius independent of topological charge(TC),possess extensive application in particle manipulation and optical communication.At present,the complex and bulky optical device for generating POVs has been miniaturized by leveraging the metasurface,and either spindependent or spin-independent POV conversions have been further accomplished.Nevertheless,it is still challenging to generate superposed POVs for incidences with orthogonal circular polarization.Here,a spinmultiplexed all-dielectric metasurface method for generating superposed POVs in the terahertz frequency range is proposed and demonstrated.By using the multiple meta-atom comprised structure as the basic unit,the complex amplitude of two superposed POVs is modulated,decoupled,and subsequently encoded to left-and righthanded circular polarization incidences.Furthermore,two kinds of metasurfaces are fabricated and characterized to validate this controlling method.It is demonstrated that the measured intensity and phase distributions match well with the calculation of the Rayleigh–Sommerfeld diffraction integral,and the radius of superposed POVs is independent of TCs.This work provides promising opportunities for developing ultracompact terahertz functional devices applied to complex structured light generation and terahertz communication,and exploring sophisticated spin angular momentum and orbital angular momentum interactions like the photonic spin-Hall effect.

Meta-optics inspired surface plasmon devices

Surface plasmons(SPs)are electromagnetic surface waves that propagate at the interface between a conductor and a dielectric.Due to their unique ability to concentrate light on two-dimensional platforms and produce very high local-field intensity,SPs have rapidly fueled a variety of fundamental advances and practical applications.In parallel,the development of metamaterials and metasurfaces has rapidly revolutionized the design concepts of traditional optical devices,fostering the exciting field of meta-optics.This review focuses on recent progress of meta-optics inspired SP devices,which are implemented by the careful design of subwavelength structures and the arrangement of their spatial distributions.Devices of general interest,including coupling devices,on-chip tailoring devices,and decoupling devices,as well as nascent SP applications empowered by sophisticated usage of meta-optics,are introduced and discussed.

Anisotropic coding metamaterials and their powerful manipulation of differently polarized terahertz waves

Metamaterials based on effective media can be used to produce a number of unusual physical properties(for example,negative refraction and invisibility cloaking)because they can be tailored with effective medium parameters that do not occur in nature.Recently,the use of coding metamaterials has been suggested for the control of electromagnetic waves through the design of coding sequences using digital elements‘0’and‘1,'which possess opposite phase responses.Here we propose the concept of an anisotropic coding metamaterial in which the coding behaviors in different directions are dependent on the polarization status of the electromagnetic waves.We experimentally demonstrate an ultrathin and flexible polarization-controlled anisotropic coding metasurface that functions in the terahertz regime using specially designed coding elements.By encoding the elements with elaborately designed coding sequences(both 1-bit and 2-bit sequences),the x-and y-polarized waves can be anomalously reflected or independently diffused in three dimensions.The simulated far-field scattering patterns and near-field distributions are presented to illustrate the dual-functional performance of the encoded metasurface,and the results are consistent with the measured results.We further demonstrate the ability of the anisotropic coding metasurfaces to generate a beam splitter and realize simultaneous anomalous reflections and polarization conversions,thus providing powerful control of differently polarized electromagnetic waves.The proposed method enables versatile beam behaviors under orthogonal polarizations using a single metasurface and has the potential for use in the development of interesting terahertz devices.

Reflective chiral meta-holography: multiplexing holograms for circularly polarized waves

By allowing almost arbitrary distributions of amplitude and phase of electromagnetic waves to be generated by a layer of sub-wavelength-size unit cells,metasurfaces have given rise to the field of meta-holography.However,holography with circularly polarized waves remains complicated as the achiral building blocks of existing meta-holograms inevitably contribute to holographic images generated by both left-handed and right-handed waves.Here we demonstrate how planar chirality enables the fully independent realization of high-efficiency meta-holograms for one circular polarization or the other.Such circular-polarization-selective meta-holograms are based on chiral building blocks that reflect either left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized waves with an orientation-dependent phase.Using terahertz waves,we experimentally demonstrate that this allows the straightforward design of reflective phase meta-holograms,where the use of alternating structures of opposite handedness yields independent holographic images for circularly polarized waves of opposite handedness with negligible polarization cross-talk.

All-optical active THz metasurfaces for ultrafast polarization switching and dynamic beam splitting

Miniaturized ultrafast switchable optical components with an extremely compact size and a high-speed response will be the core of next-generation all-optical devices instead of traditional integrated circuits,which are approaching the bottleneck of Moore’s Law.Metasurfaces have emerged as fascinating subwavelength flat optical components and devices for light focusing and holography applications.However,these devices exhibit a severe limitation due to their natural passive response.Here we introduce an active hybrid metasurface integrated with patterned semiconductor inclusions for all-optical active control of terahertz waves.Ultrafast modulation of polarization states and the beam splitting ratio are experimentally demonstrated on a time scale of 667 ps.This scheme of hybrid metasurfaces could also be extended to the design of various free-space all-optical active devices,such as varifocal planar lenses,switchable vector beam generators,and components for holography in ultrafast imaging,display,and high-fidelity terahertz wireless communication systems.

Terahertz spoof surface-plasmon-polariton subwavelength waveguide

Surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs) with the features of subwavelength confinement and strong enhancements have sparked enormous interest. However, in the terahertz regime, due to the perfect conductivities of most metals, it is hard to realize the strong confinement of SPPs, even though the propagation loss could be sufficiently low. One main approach to circumvent this problem is to exploit spoof SPPs, which are expected to exhibit useful subwavelength confinement and relative low propagation loss at terahertz frequencies. Here we report the design,fabrication, and characterization of terahertz spoof SPP waveguides based on corrugated metal surfaces. The various waveguide components, including a straight waveguide, an S-bend waveguide, a Y-splitter, and a directional coupler, were experimentally demonstrated using scanning near-field terahertz microscopy. The proposed waveguide indeed enables propagation, bending, splitting, and coupling of terahertz SPPs and thus paves a new way for the development of flexible and compact plasmonic circuits operating at terahertz frequencies.

Broadband terahertz wave generation from an epsilon-near-zero material

Broadband light sources emitting in the terahertz spectral range are highly desired for applications such as noninvasive imaging and spectroscopy.Conventionally,THz pulses are generated by optical rectification in bulk nonlinear crystals with millimetre thickness,with the bandwidth limited by the phase-matching condition.Here we demonstrate broadband THz emission via surface optical rectification from a simple,commercially available 19nmthick indium tin oxide(ITO)thin film.We show an enhancement of the generated THz signal when the pump laser is tuned around the epsilon-near-zero(ENZ)region of ITO due to the pump laser field enhancement associated with the ENZ effect.The bandwidth of the THz signal generated from the ITO film can be over 3 THz,unrestricted by the phasematching condition.This work offers a new possibility for broadband THz generation in a subwavelength thin film made of an ENZ material,with emerging physics not found in existing nonlinear crystals.

Polarization-independent all-silicon dielectric metasurfaces in the terahertz regime

Dielectric metasurfaces have achieved great success in realizing high-efficiency wavefront control in the optical and infrared ranges. Here, we experimentally demonstrate several efficient, polarization-independent, all-silicon dielectric metasurfaces in the terahertz regime. The metasurfaces are composed of cylindrical silicon pillars on a silicon substrate, which can be easily fabricated using etching technology for semiconductors. By locally tailoring the diameter of the pillars, full control over abrupt phase changes can be achieved. To show the controlling ability of the metasurfaces, an anomalous deflector, three Bessel beam generators, and three vortex beam generators are fabricated and characterized. We also show that the proposed metasurfaces can be easily combined to form composite devices with extended functionalities. The proposed controlling method has promising applications in developing low-loss, ultra-compact spatial terahertz modulation devices.

Terahertz surface plasmonic waves: a review

Terahertz science and technology promise many cutting-edge applications.Terahertz surface plasmonic waves that propagate at metal–dielectric interfaces deliver a potentially effective way to realize integrated terahertz devices and systems.Previous concerns regarding terahertz surface plasmonic waves have been based on their highly delocalized feature.However,recent advances in plasmonics indicate that the confinement of terahertz surface plasmonic waves,as well as their propagating behaviors,can be engineered by designing the surface environments,shapes,structures,materials,etc.,enabling a unique and fascinating regime of plasmonic waves.Together with the essential spectral property of terahertz radiation,as well as the increasingly developed materials,microfabrication,and time-domain spectroscopy technologies,devices and systems based on terahertz surface plasmonic waves may pave the way toward highly integrated platforms for multifunctional operation,implementation,and processing of terahertz waves in both fundamental science and practical applications.We present a review on terahertz surface plasmonic waves on various types of supports in a sequence of properties,excitation and detection,and applications.The current research trend and outlook of possible research directions for terahertz surface plasmonic waves are also outlined.

Broadband terahertz rotator with an all-dielectric metasurface

Polarization manipulation is essential in developing cutting-edge photonic devices ranging from optical communication displays to solar energy harvesting. Most previous works for efficient polarization control cannot avoid utilizing metallic components that inevitably suffer from large ohmic loss and thus low operational efficiency.Replacing metallic components with Mie resonance-based dielectric resonators will largely suppress the ohmic loss toward high-efficiency metamaterial devices. Here, we propose an efficient approach for broadband, highquality polarization rotation operating in transmission mode with all-dielectric metamaterials in the terahertz regime. By separating the orthogonal polarization components in space, we obtain rotated output waves with a conversion efficiency of 67.5%. The proposed polarization manipulation strategy shows impressive robustness and flexibility in designing metadevices of both linear-and circular-polarization incidences.

Terahertz bound states in the continuum with incident angle robustness induced by a dual period metagrating

Metasurface-empowered bound state in the continuum(BIC)provides a unique route for fascinating functional devices with infinitely high quality factors.This method is particularly attractive to the terahertz community because it may essentially solve the deficiencies in terahertz filters,sensors,lasers,and nonlinear sources.However,most BIC metasurfaces are limited to specified incident angles that seriously dim their application prospects.Here,we propose that a dual-period dielectric metagrating can support multiple families of BICs that originate from guided mode resonances in the dielectric grating and exhibit infinite quality factors at arbitrarily tilted incidence.This robustness was analyzed based on the Bloch theory and verified at tilted incident angles.We also demonstrate that inducing geometric asymmetry is an efficient way to manipulate the leakage and coupling of these BICs,which can mimic the electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT)effect in our dual-period metagrating.In this demonstration,a slow-light effect with a measured group delay of 117 ps was achieved.The incidence-insensitive BICs proposed here may greatly extend the application scenarios of the BIC effect.The high Q factor and outstanding slow-light effect in the metagrating show exciting prospects in realizing high-performance filters,sensors,and modulators for prompting terahertz applications.

Dual non-diffractive terahertz beam generators based on all-dielectric metasurface

The applications of terahertz(THz)technology can be greatly extended using non-diffractive beams with unique field distributions and non-diffiactive transmission characteristics.Here,we design and experimentally demonstrate a set of dual non-diffractive THz beam generators based on an all-dielectric metasurface.Two kinds of non-diffractive beams with dramatically opposite focusing properties,Bessel beam and abruptly autofocus-ing(AAF)beam,are considered.A Bessel beam with longdistance non-diffractive characteristics and an AAF beam with low energy during transmission and abruptly increased energy near the focus are generated for x-and^-polarized incident waves,respectively.These two kinds of beams are characterized and the results agree well with simulations.In addition,we show numerically that these two kinds of beams can also carry orbital angular momentum by further imposing proper angular phases in the design.We believe that these metasurface-based beam generators have great potential use in THz imaging,communications,non-destructive evaluation,and many other fields.