Photonic Integrated Chip for Improved Light Control

摘要

Anew technology that can allow for better light control without requiring large, difficult-to-integrate materials and structures has been developed. The photonic integrated chip could allow for many advances in the optical field and industry, ranging from improvements in virtual-reality glasses to optical remote sensing. Traditionally, scientists have had two options when it comes to controlling light for use in various optical devices. The first is a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) that can be incorporated onto'1 small chips but has limited ability to control free-space light-light propagating in air, outer space, or a vacuum, as opposed to being guided in fibers or other waveguides. The second is a newly emergent metasurface-an artificially engineered thin layer that allows for light manipulation at subwavelength scale but cannot be integrated on a chip.