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. 2019 Feb 19;12(4):623.
doi: 10.3390/ma12040623.

High-Efficiency and Wide-Angle Versatile Polarization Controller Based on Metagratings

Kun Song  1 , Ruonan Ji  2 , Duman Shrestha  3 , Changlin Ding  4 , Yahong Liu  4 , Weiren Zhu  5 , Wentao He  6 , Huidong Liu  7 , Yuhua Guo  8 , Yongkang Tang  9 , Xiaopeng Zhao  10 , Jiangfeng Zhou  11
Affiliations

High-Efficiency and Wide-Angle Versatile Polarization Controller Based on Metagratings

Kun Song et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

Metamaterials with their customized properties enable us to efficiently manipulate the polarization states of electromagnetic waves with flexible approaches, which is of great significance in various realms. However, most current metamaterial-based polarization controllers can only realize single function, which has extremely hindered the expansion of their applications. Here, we experimentally demonstrate highly efficient and multifunctional polarization conversion effects using metagrating by integrating single-structure metallic meta-atoms into the dielectric gratings. Benefiting from the combined advantages of the gratings and the metamaterials, the considered metagrating can operate in transmission and reflection modes simultaneously, acting as a high-performance and wide-angle quarter-wave or half-wave plate with distinct functions in different frequency bands. This metagrating structure is scalable to other frequency ranges and may provide opportunities to design compact multifunctional optical polarization control devices.

Keywords: dual mode; metagratings; multifunction; polarization controller; wide-angle.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of (a) the metallic subwavelength grating, (b) the proposed metagrating, and (c) the unit cell of metagrating. The u- and v-axis are the two principal axes of the metagrating, respectively. The direction of the x(y)-axis is rotated by 45° with respect to the u(v)-axis. (d) Photograph of the experimental sample.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Simulation (left column) and experimental (right column) results of the proposed metagrating in the case of u- and v-polarization incidence. In this frequency region, the metamaterial operates in transmission mode. (a,b) Transmittance, (c,d) calculated amplitude ratio αT, (e,f) phase difference βT between u- and v-axis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Simulated (left column) and measured (right column) results of the designed metagrating for the x- and y-polarized incident waves in transmission mode. (a,b) Transmittance, (c,d) PCR.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Numerical (left column) and experimental (right column) results of the proposed metamaterial under u- and v-polarization incidence in the reflective frequency range. (a,b) Reflectance, (c,d) amplitude ratio αR, (e,f) phase difference βR between u- and v-axis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Simulation (left column) and experimental (right column) results of the proposed metagrating for the x- and y-polarized incident waves in the reflective mode. (a,b) Reflectance, (c,d) PCR.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The effects of incident angle on the electromagnetic properties of the metagrating for the linearly polarized incident waves. The results of the metagrating in (a) transmission and (b) reflection modes under x-polarization incidence. The results of the metagrating in (c) transmission and (d) reflection modes under y-polarization incidence. At oblique incidence, the x- and y-polarization waves actually represent the TM and TE waves, respectively. In the simulations, the incident angle is increasingly tuned by a step of 5°.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Simulation results of the designed metagrating for the circularly polarized waves at normal incidence. (a) Transmittance and (b) PCR spectra in transmission mode, (c) reflectance and (d) PCR spectra in reflection mode.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Influences of incident angle on the electromagnetic properties of the metagrating in the case of circular polarization incidence. (a) Cross-polarization transmittance, (b) co-polarization transmittance, and (c) PCR in transmission mode; (d) cross-polarization reflectance, (e) co-polarization reflectance, and (f) PCR in reflection mode.
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