Active 2-dimensional optical meta-surfaces

随着3D场景的主动传感成为现代消费电子产品的主要特征，高对比度衍射光栅的市场正在迅速增长。光刻技术的进步和ST半导体代工厂光学特定工艺的发展为高折射率对比度衍射光学元件的大批量生产打开了大门，具有前所未有的精度。高对比度衍射光学的功能可以通过实现所谓的元表面结构来增强：亚微米结构，表现出令人兴奋的光学特性，例如，总透射率和可选择的相位延迟。这个项目将致力于解决这种结构的可调性，通过控制周围的电场，我们的目标是动态地操纵固态光学元件的功能。该项目将在有源可调谐元表面的设计、仿真和制造方面发挥关键作用，将这一令人兴奋的新光学技术推向消费者应用的前沿。成功的学生将与ST成像在爱丁堡的产品设计团队合作，开发设计和仿真方法，与ST在欧洲的代工厂合作，定义制造工艺，并与来自世界各地的主要ST客户会面，将这项技术纳入ST的飞行时间产品路线图并进入大众市场。

The market for high contrast diffractive gratings is growing rapidly as active sensing of 3D scenes becomes a dominant feature in modern consumer electronics. Advances in lithographic techniques and development of optical specific processes in ST semiconductor foundries has opened the door for high volume mass production of high refractive index contrast diffractive optical elements with unprecedented precision. The functionality of high contrast diffractive optics can be enhanced by implementing so-called meta-surface structures: sub-micron structures that exhibit exciting optical properties, for example, total transmission and selectable phase retardation. This project will aim to address the tuneability of such structures, by control of the surrounding electrical field we aim to dynamically manipulate the function of an optical element in solid-state. The project will play a key role in building expertise in the design, simulation and manufacture of active tuneable meta-surfaces, bringing this exciting new optical technology to the cutting edge of consumer applications. The successful student will be working with ST imaging's Product Design team in Edinburgh to develop design and simulation methodologies, collaborating with ST foundries in Europe to define the manufacturing process and meeting key ST customers from around the world to deliver this technology into ST's time-of-flight product roadmap and into the mass market.