CAREER:Electrically Tunable van der Waals Optical Nanoantennas Photodetectors and Metasurfaces

非技术描述：具有令人难以置信的能力的紧凑型光学设备可以通过排列微小的结构来创建，这些结构被称为超表面，由纳米级的特殊光学材料制成。这些超颖表面器件在广泛的光子学中找到应用。虽然已经有了令人兴奋的进步，但超颖表面通常是静态的，它们的光学行为是由所使用的材料及其初始设计预先确定的。挑战在于开发允许超颖表面具有可调节光学响应的技术，这是各种应用的关键特征。研究小组正在通过引入一种新的方法来应对这一挑战，该方法使用货车德瓦尔斯材料来创建紧凑的光子器件和可以通过电偏压进行调谐的超颖表面。通过计算模拟和真实实验的结合，该团队旨在展示在可见光谱范围内动态切换和调整这些货车德瓦耳斯器件和超表面的光学特性的能力。该项目为自由空间和片上应用的可编程波前操纵、光学调制和传感开辟了新的可能性。除了研究，该团队还致力于教育和推广。他们的综合计划涉及从7-12年级到研究生水平的学生。通过参与该项目，学生可以接触到快速发展的领域，如材料科学，光学和纳米技术，有助于他们的教育之旅，并培养对尖端技术的兴趣。技术描述：光学超表面由具有亚波长纳米天线的二维阵列的光子器件组成，由等离子体材料或介电材料制成。这项技术赋予了前所未有的光控制能力，开启了各种光学应用。尽管主动调整元表面的响应对于各种应用是非常期望的，但它仍然是一项具有挑战性的任务。这个项目深入研究利用货车德瓦尔斯材料来创建电可调光子器件和超颖表面。该研究团队旨在通过在可见光谱范围内调整货车德瓦耳斯天线和超颖表面，展示可逆的，非挥发性的，多状态/连续开关，以及光散射，反射和手性光学吸收的光谱调谐。此外，该技术与手性货车德瓦尔斯纳米结构一起实施，以创建宽带、电可调谐的圆偏振光光电探测器。首席研究员计划利用他们现有的努力和成功的经验，教育学生，特别是那些来自代表性不足的群体，在不同的水平。这将通过新的课程开发和推广方案来实现。该项目的成果介绍了一类新的基于货车德瓦尔斯材料的可调超颖表面和光子器件，提供了广泛的应用，包括光学调制，光电探测，可调滤色和显示，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

Nontechnical Description:Compact optical devices with incredible capabilities can be created by arranging tiny structures, known as metasurfaces, made from special optical materials at the nanoscale. These metasurface devices find applications across a broad spectrum of photonics. While there have been exciting advancements, metasurfaces are typically static, and their optical behavior is predetermined by the materials used and their initial design. The challenge lies in developing techniques that allow metasurfaces to have an adjustable optical response, a crucial feature for various applications. The research team is taking on this challenge by introducing a novel approach using van der Waals materials to create compact photonic devices and metasurfaces that can be tuned with electrical bias. Through a combination of computational simulations and real-world experiments, the team aims to showcase the ability to dynamically switch and tune the optical properties of these van der Waals devices and metasurfaces in the visible spectral range. This project opens up new possibilities for programmable wavefront manipulation, optical modulation, and sensing for applications both in free space and on-chip. Beyond the research, the team is committed to education and outreach. Their integrated plan involves engaging students from grades 7-12 up to the graduate level. By participating in this project, students get exposure to rapidly evolving fields such as materials science, optics, and nanotechnology, contributing to their educational journey and fostering interest in cutting-edge technologies.Technical Description:Optical metasurfaces consist of ultrathin photonic devices that feature two-dimensional arrays of sub-wavelength nanoantennas, crafted from either plasmonic materials or dielectric materials. This technology has granted unprecedented control over light, unlocking a diverse range of optical applications. Although actively tuning the response of metasurfaces is highly desirable for various applications, it remains a challenging task. This project delves into the utilization of van der Waals materials to create electrically tunable photonic devices and metasurfaces. The research team aims to showcase reversible, non-volatile, multi-state/continuous switching, and spectral tuning of light scattering, reflection, and chiral-optical absorption by adjusting the van der Waals antenna and metasurfaces in the visible spectral range. Additionally, the technology is implemented with chiral van der Waals nanostructures to create a broadband, electrically tunable circularly polarized light photodetector. The principal investigator plans to leverage their existing efforts and successful experience in educating students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, across different levels. This will be achieved through new course development and outreach programs. The outcomes of this project introduce a new class of tunable metasurfaces and photonic devices based on van der Waals materials, offering a wide range of applications, including optical modulation, photodetection, tunable color filtering and displays, and programmable and active wavefront manipulation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.