Abstract: According to various embodiments, a tunable optical device comprises a tunable optical metasurface on a substrate with an integrated driver circuit. In some embodiments, the tunable optical device includes a photon shield layer to prevent optical radiation from disrupting operation of the driver circuit. In some embodiments, the tunable optical device includes a diagnostic circuit to detect and disable defective optical structures of the metasurface. In some embodiments, the tunable optical device includes an integrated heater circuit that maintains a liquid crystal of the metasurface above a minimum operating temperature. In some embodiments, the tunable optical device includes an integrated lidar sequencing controller, a steering pattern subcircuit, and a photodetector circuit.

Abstract: A metasurface may include a substrate layer and a two-dimensional array of metallic optical pillars arranged in rows and columns. A tunable dielectric material with a tunable refractive index is positioned between row-adjacent optical resonators. A two-dimensional active-matrix driver includes integrated driver routing layer(s), capacitor layer(s), and/or transistor layer(s). The driver routing layers enable row and column addressing of the two-dimensional array of metallic pillars via a row conductor for each row of metallic pillars and a column conductor for each column of metallic pillars. A transistor layer includes transistor devices connected to and configured to be selectively driven by the row and column conductors. The capacitor layer includes a plurality of storage capacitors. Each metallic pillar is connected in parallel to one of the storage capacitors in the capacitor layer and one of the transistor devices in the transistor layer.

Abstract: In various embodiments, a tunable optical surface includes a dielectric substrate layer with an array of elongated metal rails extending from the dielectric substrate parallel to one another and spaced from one another to form channels therebetween. The channels are etched deeper into the dielectric substrate to form extended-depth channels. The depth of each extended-depth channel is greater than the height of adjacent elongated metal rails. The dimensions of the elongated metal rails and the extended-depth channels therebetween may be subwavelength with respect to an operational bandwidth. A tunable dielectric material that has a tunable refractive index, such as liquid crystal, is positioned within the extended-depth channels between adjacent elongated metal rails.

Abstract: A metasurface may include a substrate layer and a two-dimensional array of metallic optical pillars arranged in parallel rows extending vertically relative to the substrate layer. Gaps between adjacent pillars form optical resonators and a tunable dielectric material is positioned in the optical resonators between the pillars. A reflective layer positioned between the substrate layer and the two-dimensional array of pillars may include a two-dimensional array of elongated rectangular reflector patches arranged in parallel rows with an electrical isolation gap between adjacent rows of reflector patches. The plurality of reflector patches may be arranged lengthwise within each row with an off-resonance gap between adjacent reflector patches. The reflector patches in adjacent rows may be offset with respect to one another, such that the off-resonance gaps between adjacent reflector patches in one row are not aligned with the off-resonance gaps between adjacent reflector patches in an adjacent row.