Optical Limiting Based on Huygens’ Metasurfaces

Optical limiting is desirable or necessary in a variety of applications that employ high-power light sources or sensitive photodetectors. However, the most prevalent methods compromise between on-state transmission and turndown ratio or rely on narrow transmission windows. We demonstrate that a metasurface-based architecture incorporating phase-change materials enables both high and broadband on-state transmission (−4.8 dB) while also providing a large turndown ratio (25.2 dB). Additionally, this design can be extended for broadband multiwavelength limiting due to the high off-resonance transmittance and readily scalable resonant wavelength. Furthermore, our choice of active material allows for protection in ultrafast laser environments due to the speed of the phase transition. These benefits offer a strong alternative to state-of-the-art optical limiters in technologies ranging from sensor protection to protective eyewear.