Visible Chalcogenide Metadevices

With the evolution of the consumer electronics field, applications such as smart wearable devices, autonomous driving, AR/VR, and smartphones are setting forth more requirements for optical components, emphasizing the necessity for enhanced multifunctionality, miniaturization, and cost-efficiency. Metasurfaces composed of subwavelength nanostructures have introduced a revolutionary approach to address these requirements, undergoing significant theoretical and applied research over the past decade. However, metasurface technology still encounters challenges in optical wavelength extension, reconfigurability, and optical nonlinearities. In comparison to widely utilized metasurface materials such as HfO
2
for ultraviolet, Si
3
N
4
, TiO
2
, GaN for visible, and aSi for near-infrared to mid-infrared, chalcogenide materials exhibit high refractive and transparency at broad optical frequencies. Additionally, chalcogenide materials hold the potential for phase change and nonlinear characteristics, rendering them ideal materials for multifunctional metasurface devices. In this study, we present the inaugural demonstration of chalcogenide metasurface in visible. We designed and fabricated foundational optical devices like metalens and vortex beam, and conducted comprehensive tests to characterize the optical performance of these devices, laying the groundwork for the expansion of chalcogenide visible metasurfaces.