Snapshot Mueller spectropolarimeter imager.

We introduce an imaging system that can simultaneously record complete Mueller polarization responses for a set of wavelength channels in a single image capture. The division-of-focal-plane concept combines a multiplexed illumination scheme based on Fourier optics together with an integrated telescopic light-field imaging system. Polarization-resolved imaging is achieved using broadband nanostructured plasmonic polarizers as functional pinhole apertures. The recording of polarization and wavelength information on the image sensor is highly interpretable. We also develop a calibration approach based on a customized neural network architecture that can produce calibrated measurements in real-time. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we use our calibrated system to accurately reconstruct a thin film thickness map from a four-inch wafer. We anticipate that our concept will have utility in metrology, machine vision, computational imaging, and optical computing platforms.

Electrical control of terahertz frequency conversion from time-varying surfaces.

We investigate the electrical control of frequency conversion from a time-varying interdigitated photo-conductive antenna (IPCA) and time-varying metasurface in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. Ultrafast near-infrared (NIR) optical pulses rapidly modify the conductivities of the IPCA and metasurface; however, external voltages can retard this conductivity transition. Thus, external voltages can be used to control the frequency conversion process based on the interaction between the THz waves and the time-varying surfaces. In the IPCA, both frequency up- and down-conversion processes are suppressed by external voltages. However, in the metasurface, the down-conversion is dramatically suppressed by external voltages, whereas the suppression on the up-conversion is less effective.

Control of terahertz nonlinear transmission with electrically gated graphene metadevices.

Graphene, which is a two-dimensional crystal of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has attracted a great amount of attention due to its outstanding mechanical, thermal and electronic properties. Moreover, graphene shows an exceptionally strong tunable light-matter interaction that depends on the Fermi level - a function of chemical doping and external gate voltage - and the electromagnetic resonance provided by intentionally engineered structures. In the optical regime, the nonlinearities of graphene originated from the Pauli blocking have already been exploited for mode-locking device applications in ultrafast laser technology, whereas nonlinearities in the terahertz regime, which arise from a reduction in conductivity due to carrier heating, have only recently been confirmed experimentally. Here, we investigated two key factors for controlling nonlinear interactions of graphene with an intense terahertz field. The induced transparencies of graphene can be controlled effectively by engineering meta-atoms and/or changing the number of charge carriers through electrical gating. Additionally, nonlinear phase changes of the transmitted terahertz field can be observed by introducing the resonances of the meta-atoms.

Graphene-ferroelectric metadevices for nonvolatile memory and reconfigurable logic-gate operations.

Memory metamaterials are artificial media that sustain transformed electromagnetic properties without persistent external stimuli. Previous memory metamaterials were realized with phase-change materials, such as vanadium dioxide or chalcogenide glasses, which exhibit memory behaviour with respect to electrically/optically induced thermal stimuli. However, they require a thermally isolated environment for longer retention or strong optical pump for phase-change. Here we demonstrate electrically programmable nonvolatile memory metadevices realised by the hybridization of graphene, a ferroelectric and meta-atoms/meta-molecules, and extend the concept further to establish reconfigurable logic-gate metadevices. For a memory metadevice having a single electrical input, amplitude, phase and even the polarization multi-states were clearly distinguishable with a retention time of over 10 years at room temperature. Furthermore, logic-gate functionalities were demonstrated with reconfigurable logic-gate metadevices having two electrical inputs, with each connected to separate ferroelectric layers that act as the multi-level controller for the doping level of the sandwiched graphene layer.

THz near-field spectral encoding imaging using a rainbow metasurface.

We demonstrate a fast image acquisition technique in the terahertz range via spectral encoding using a metasurface. The metasurface is composed of spatially varying units of mesh filters that exhibit bandpass features. Each mesh filter is arranged such that the centre frequencies of the mesh filters are proportional to their position within the metasurface, similar to a rainbow. For imaging, the object is placed in front of the rainbow metasurface, and the image is reconstructed by measuring the transmitted broadband THz pulses through both the metasurface and the object. The 1D image information regarding the object is linearly mapped into the spectrum of the transmitted wave of the rainbow metasurface. Thus, 2D images can be successfully reconstructed using simple 1D data acquisition processes.

A printed nanobeam laser on a SiO2/Si substrate for low-threshold continuous-wave operation.

A small-footprint nanobeam photonic crystal laser made of InGaAsP material is directly integrated on a SiO2/Si substrate without using adhesive material via transfer-printing processes (i.e., dry transfer-printing). The transferred nanobeam structure with a physical volume of ~6.6 × 0.58 × 0.28 µm(3) (~10.5 (λ/n)3) shows single mode lasing near 1550 nm with continuous-wave (CW) operation at room-temperature, where effective lasing threshold power was as low as 9 µW. This CW operation was achieved mainly due to efficient heat dissipation provided by direct contact between the nanobeam and the substrate. This transfer-printed nanobeam laser could be a promising candidate for the next-generation light source with a feature of low-power consumption in ultracompact photonic integrated circuits.