Abstract

Integrating chip-scale photonics with mechanical, biological, and chemical systems, where a light beam enjoys a well-controlled phase, intensity, and polarization, can infuse a new life into optical spectroscopy of materials [1], atomic and molecular optics [2], and chip-scale optical trapping [3]. We have recently realized a photonic extreme mode converter (EMC), which projects a ≈ 200 μm wide collimated beam from a singlemode waveguide [4,5]. The beam is linearly polarized and propagates over several millimeters with low diffraction. Here we report a photonic platform assembled by integrating the EMC with a planar metasurface (MS), which enables waveguide mode conversion into a free-space beam with an arbitrarily designed phase, intensity, and polarization.

© 2019 IEEE