ASCENT: PROWESS: Phase-change Reconfigurable Optical WavEfront Synthesis System

光传播的按需控制一直是光子工程师的圣杯。能够动态控制光传播的光学系统可以在运行中重新配置，以实现各种功能，如光聚焦，偏转和切换，使它们可用于光子交换，显示，成像和光学伪装等应用。本项目旨在演示这样一个系统，它由相变材料制成的亚波长结构组成。相变材料的原子结构和光学性质可以动态调制，从而使系统能够灵活地重新配置，以满足不同的应用需求。该系统一旦实现，将对光学和光子学的许多领域产生深远的影响，使新的光学计算和成像系统在尺寸、重量和功率方面优于传统系统。该研究将与跨学科的大规模开放式在线课程开发紧密结合，在该项目中，一个跨材料科学，光子器件和电路的跨学科专业知识的研究团队将展示相变可重构光学波前合成系统（PROWESS）。PROWESS将实现独立的连续光学相位调谐和幅度调制，具有波长级分辨率，从而实现对光传播的完全控制。PROWESS包括由新型相变材料制成的超颖表面或亚波长天线阵列，其中它们的相变和折射率是电调谐的。通过与硅晶体管阵列集成来促进大的超颖表面矩阵的切换。PROWESS将进一步应用于实现可重构光学神经网络和能够收集光波长和偏振等多维信息的红外成像系统。该项目的成功不仅将直接有利于信息技术和国家安全，还将加强美国半导体和光子制造业。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

On-demand control of light propagation has been a Holy Grail for photonic engineers. An optical system capable of dynamic control of light propagation can be reconfigured on-the-fly to fulfill diverse functions such as light focusing, deflection, and switching, making them useful for applications such as photonic switching, display, imaging, and optical camouflage. This project aims to demonstrate such a system, which consists of sub-wavelength structures made of phase-change materials. The atomic structure and hence optical properties of the phase-change materials can be dynamically modulated, thereby enabling the system to be flexibly reconfigured to meet diverse application needs. The system, once realized, will have far-reaching impacts across many fields of optics and photonics by enabling new optical computing and imaging systems with major size, weight, and power advantages over their traditional counterparts. The research will be tightly integrated with interdisciplinary massive open online course development.In this project, a team of researchers with cross-cutting expertise spanning materials science, photonic devices and circuits will demonstrate a Phase-change Reconfigurable Optical WavEfront Synthesis System (PROWESS). PROWESS will realize independent continuous optical phase tuning and amplitude modulation with wavelength-scale resolution, thereby enabling complete control of light propagation. PROWESS comprises metasurfaces or sub-wavelength antenna arrays made of novel phase-change materials, where their phase transition and hence refractive index are electrically tuned. Switching of a large metasurface matrix is facilitated by integration with silicon transistor arrays. PROWESS will be further applied to realize a reconfigurable optical neural network and an infrared imaging system capable of collecting of multi-dimensional information such as light wavelength and polarization. Success of the project will not only directly benefit information technology and national security, but also strengthen US semiconductor and photonics manufacturing.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.