Electrically Tunable Harmonics in Time-modulated Metasurfaces for Wavefront Engineering

Abstract

Modulation of metasurfaces in time gives rise to several exotic space-time scattering phenomena by violating the reciprocity and generation of higher-order frequency harmonics. We introduce a new design paradigm for time-modulated metasurfaces, offering electrically tunable engineering of the generated frequency harmonics and their emerging wavefronts by controlling the phase delay in modulation. It is demonstrated that the light acquires a dispersionless phase shift regardless of incident angle and polarization, upon undergoing frequency conversion in a time-modulated metasurface which is linearly proportional to the modulation phase delay and the order of generated frequency harmonic. The conversion efficiency to the frequency harmonics is independent of modulation phase delay and only depends on the modulation depth and resonant characteristics of the metasurface element, with the highest efficiency occurring in the vicinity of resonance, and decreasing away from the resonant regime. The design approach allows for creating tunable spatially varying phase discontinuties with 2π span in the wavefronts of generated frequency harmonics for a wide range of frequencies and incident angles. Specifically, we apply this approach to a time-modulated metasurface in the Teraherz regime consisted of graphene-wrapped silicon microwires. For this purpose, we use an accurate and efficient semi-analytical framework based on multipole scattering. We demonstrate the utility of the design for tunable beam steering and focusing of the generated frequency harmonics. Furthermore, we rigorously verify the broadband and wide-angle performance of the metasurface in manipulation of the generated frequency harmonics. The proposed design approach enables a new class of high-efficiency tunable metasurfaces with wide angular and frequency bandwidth, wavefront engineering capabilities and multi-functionality.