Electrically Reconfigurable Meta-Optics

Published:

Electrically Programmable Optics

Advanced vision systems for autonomous vehicles, AR, and sensing require electrically programmable optics that are compact and energy-efficient.

We engineer metasurfaces using voltage-tunable materials—such as liquid crystals and vanadium dioxide (VO₂)—to achieve dynamic control over light properties with low power consumption and no moving parts.

Liquid Crystal Meta-Optics

Beam Control for LiDAR and Displays

Liquid crystal meta-optics combine voltage-tunable anisotropic materials with nanophotonic resonators to enable dynamic beam steering and shaping.

High-Density Phase Shifters ― Our row/column-addressable architecture (US 11,487,183) integrates >10,000 controllable phase elements on a 3×3 mm chip, enabling solid-state LiDAR.

Active Light Sources ― We have integrated liquid crystal overlayers with GaN micro-LEDs to create light sources with electrically tunable emission color and beam angle, applicable to AR/VR displays.

Broadband Achromatic Steering ― Our multi-layer LC-metasurface stacks demonstrate constant deflection angles across the 450–950 nm range, useful for depth sensing and communications.

Dynamic Holography ― We demonstrate centimeter-scale phased arrays capable of reconstructing 3D holographic scenes at video frame rates using <5 V drive.

Phase-Transition Photonics

Infrared Control via VO₂

Mid-infrared (MIR) photonics are critical for thermal imaging and sensing. We utilize III–V semiconductor resonators integrated with vanadium dioxide (VO₂) to achieve voltage-triggered phase transitions for optical control.

Heterojunction Resonators ― Our work demonstrates GaInAs/AlInAs resonators achieving 180° phase shifts across a 200 nm bandwidth when integrated with carrier-injection junctions.

Efficient Modulation ― Voltage-switched VO₂ devices provide 20 dB optical contrast at 5 V, compatible with CMOS electronics.

Fast Beam Steering ― We have developed 1×64 phased arrays capable of steering mid-infrared beams by ±30° at 40 kHz rates using voltage-controlled phase transitions.

Ultrafast Control ― Combining femtosecond pump pulses with metasurfaces allows for sub-picosecond steering of incoherent emission.

Quantum Light Generation ― We are exploring voltage-tunable metasurfaces for generating Spontaneous Parametric Down-Conversion (SPDC) photons, enabling compact quantum light sources.

Conclusion

Our research aims to replace mechanical optical systems with solid-state, electrically reconfigurable metasurfaces. These technologies offer low-power, wafer-scale solutions for:

  • Automotive LiDAR
  • Holographic displays
  • Thermal imaging
  • Chemical spectroscopy
  • Free-space communication

This work advances the field of programmable photonics.

Suggested reading

Liquid Crystal Devices:

Phase-Transition Devices:

Core Technology: