Abstract

In linear optical processes, compact and effective wavefront shaping techniques have been developed with the artificially engineered materials and devices in the past decades. Recently, wavefront shaping of light at newly generated frequencies was also demonstrated using nonlinear photonic crystals and metasurfaces. However, the nonlinear wave-shaping devices with both high nonlinear optical efficiency and high wave shaping efficiency are difficult to realize. To circumvent this constraint, we propose the idea of metasurface decorated optical crystal to take the best aspects of both traditional nonlinear crystals and photonic metasurfaces. In the proof-of-concept experiment, we show that a silicon nitride metasurface decorated quartz crystal can be used for the wavefront shaping of the second harmonic waves generated in quartz. With this crystal-metasurface hybrid platform, the nonlinear vortex beam generation and nonlinear holography were successfully demonstrated. The proposed methodology may have important applications in nonlinear structured light generation, super-resolution imaging, and optical information processing, etc.

Highlights

  • Optical wavefront engineering is of critical importance in the areas of optical imaging, optical communication and information processing

  • In the proof-of-concept experiment, we show that a silicon nitride metasurface decorated quartz crystal can be used for the wavefront shaping of the second harmonic waves generated in quartz

  • To verify the proposed idea, we experimentally demonstrate nonlinear vortex beam generation and nonlinear optical holography using second harmonic waves generated from the quartz crystal

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Optical wavefront engineering is of critical importance in the areas of optical imaging, optical communication and information processing. Recent development in the laser direct writing technique was used to make threedimensional nonlinear photonic crystals [13, 14] These nonlinear photonic crystals can be used for the generation of optical vortex and holographic image at second harmonic frequency [15,16,17,18]. A gold microstructureconjugated polymer system was utilized to generate vortex beam at third harmonic frequency [30]; a metasurfacetungsten disulfide hybrid platform was developed for focusing and beam steering of the second harmonic waves (SHWs) [31, 32]. Our results indicate an easy-to-use and promising platform for realizing compact and efficient nonlinear wavefront engineering and will potentially contribute to the development of nonlinear structured light source and optical information processing, etc

Design and fabrication of the metasurfaces
Characterizations of nonlinear wavefront engineering
Findings
Conclusions

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.