nl0c01574_si_001.pdf (115.67 kB)
Optical Limiting Based on Huygens’ Metasurfaces
journal contribution
posted on 2020-05-22, 10:29 authored by Austin Howes, Zhihua Zhu, David Curie, Jason R. Avila, Virginia D. Wheeler, Richard F. Haglund, Jason G. ValentineOptical
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.