Non-Mechanical Multiplexed Beam-Steering Elements Based on Double-Sided Liquid Crystal Metasurfaces

We propose, optimize, fabricate and test beam-steering elements based on double-sided liquid-crystal (LC) metasurfaces allowing for diffractive and spectral multiplexing, and thus covering three different beam deflection directions each. While straightforward parallel design requires one diffractive...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Maxim V. Gorkunov, Artur R. Geivandov, Alena V. Mamonova, Ivan V. Simdyankin, Irina V. Kasyanova, Alexander A. Ezhov, Vladimir V. Artemov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-12-01
Series:Photonics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/9/12/986
Description
Summary:We propose, optimize, fabricate and test beam-steering elements based on double-sided liquid-crystal (LC) metasurfaces allowing for diffractive and spectral multiplexing, and thus covering three different beam deflection directions each. While straightforward parallel design requires one diffractive beam-steering element per a direction determined by Bragg’s law, double-sided LC-metasurfaces are remarkably flexible and allow optimization for three operation modes at different applied voltages: zero-voltage mode with dominant +1 order red light and +2 order blue light diffraction; intermediate mode at 1.4–1.6 V voltage with dominant +1 order blue light diffraction; and transparent mode at 5 V voltage. We comprehensively study three such elements with 6, 8 and 10 micrometer periods and verify their capability of deflecting blue and red light beams with 40–70% efficiencies in nine target directions with 10 ms characteristic switching times.
ISSN:2304-6732