Infrared beam-shaping on demand via tailored geometric phase metasurfaces employing the plasmonic phase-change material In3SbTe2

Abstract Conventional optical elements are bulky and limited to specific functionalities, contradicting the increasing demand of miniaturization and multi-functionalities. Optical metasurfaces enable tailoring light-matter interaction at will, especially important for the infrared spectral range whi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lukas Conrads, Florian Bontke, Andreas Mathwieser, Paul Buske, Matthias Wuttig, Robert Schmitt, Carlo Holly, Thomas Taubner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59122-5
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Summary:Abstract Conventional optical elements are bulky and limited to specific functionalities, contradicting the increasing demand of miniaturization and multi-functionalities. Optical metasurfaces enable tailoring light-matter interaction at will, especially important for the infrared spectral range which lacks commercially available beam-shaping elements. While the fabrication of those metasurfaces usually requires cumbersome techniques, direct laser writing promises a simple and convenient alternative. Here, we exploit the non-volatile laser-induced insulator-to-metal transition of the plasmonic phase-change material In3SbTe2 (IST) for optical programming of large-area metasurfaces for infrared beam-shaping. We tailor the geometric phase of metasurfaces with rotated crystalline IST rod antennas to achieve beam steering, lensing, and beams carrying orbital angular momenta. Finally, we investigate multi-functional and cascaded metasurfaces exploiting enlarged holography, and design a single metasurface creating two different holograms along the optical axis. Our approach facilitates fabrication of large-area metasurfaces within hours, enabling rapid-prototyping of customized infrared meta-optics for sensing, imaging and quantum information.
ISSN:2041-1723