Control of angular dispersion in dielectric gratings for multifunctional wavefront shaping and dynamic polarization conversion

Abstract

Compared with traditional optical elements, metasurfaces have shown unique advantages in multifunctionality encoded in different frequencies, polarization states, and orbital angular momentums. However, the study of metasurfaces with well-controlled functions under different incident angles is still in its infancy. Here we propose a general method to tailor the angular dispersion over the simplest binary dielectric grating in the transmission mode. We demonstrate that the angular response is strongly related to the number of waveguide modes inside the grating, so one can intentionally reduce or enhance the angular dispersion by controlling the number of waveguide modes. Independent phase manipulation over incident angles is experimentally demonstrated by a metalens with angle-dependent focus. The angular dispersion in orthogonal polarization states is further utilized to demonstrate angle-insensitive and angle-multiplexed wave plates. These devices with simple configuration and clear physics offer a general platform to expand the scope of beam manipulation over metasurfaces.