No abstract

In this paper, we propose a graphene-based metasurface that exhibits multifunctions including tunable filter and slow-light which result from surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) of graphene and plasmon induced transparency (PIT), respectively. The proposed metasurface is composed by two pairs of graphene nano-rings and a graphene nanoribbon. Each group of graphene rings is separately placed on both sides of the graphene nanoribbon. Adjusting the working state of the nanoribbon can realize the functional conversion of the proposed multifunctional metasurface. After that, in the state of two narrow filters, we put forward the application concept of dual-channel optical switch. Using phase modulation of PIT and flexible Fermi level of graphene, we can achieve tunable slow light. In addition, the result shows that the graphene-based metasurface as a refractive index sensor can achieve a sensitivity of 13670 nm/RIU in terahertz range. These results enable the proposed device to be widely applied in tunable optical switches, slow light, and sensors.

Metasurfaces, the two-dimensional artificial metamaterials, have attracted intensive attention due to their abnormal ability to manipulate the electromagnetic wave. Although there have been considerable efforts to design and fabricate beam steering devices, continuously tunable devices with a uniform bias-voltage have not been achieved. Finding new ways to realize more convenient and simpler wavefront modulation of light still requires research efforts. In this article, a series of novel reflective metasurfaces are proposed to continuously modulate the wavefront of terahertz light by uniformly adjusting the bias-voltage. By introducing the innovation of nonuniform periodic structures, we realize the gradient distribution of the reflected light phase-changing-rate which is the velocity of phase changing with Fermi energy. Based on strict phase distribution design scheme, a beam scanner and a variable-focus reflective metalens are both demonstrated successfully. Furthermore, dynamic and continuous control of either the beam azimuth of beam scanner or the focal length of metalens can be achieved by uniformly tuning the Fermi energy of graphene. Our work provides a potentially efficient method for the development and simplification of the adjustable wavefront controlling devices.

We propose a tunable multilayer-graphene-based broadband metamaterial selective absorber using the finite-difference time domain. The simulation results reveal that the absorption spectra of the proposed metamaterial with the nano-cylinder and 30-layer graphene show high absorption (88.3%) in the range of 250–2300 nm, which covers the entire solar spectrum. Moreover, the graphene-based metamaterial has a low thermal emittance of 3.3% in the mid-infrared range (4–13 µm), which can greatly reduce the heat loss. The proposed metamaterial has a tunable cutoff wavelength, which can be tuned by controlling the Fermi level of graphene. In addition, our structure is an angle-insensitive absorber, and the device has the potential to be widely used in solar cell and thermal detectors.

The vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) are of extreme importance for applications in communication, nanoscience, and optical micro‐manipulation. The development of dynamically tunable vortex beam generators with compact size is a critical step in the realization of vortex beam modulation and application. Here, a series of ultrathin OAM‐tunable polarization‐preserving vortex beam generators based on graphene metasurfaces are proposed, which offer a new scheme to generating vortex beams with variable topological charges at terahertz frequency. By introducing the diagonal cross‐shaped graphene structures, the abrupt phase shift range reaches 2π for linearly polarized incident light while maintaining the original polarization state. Planar spiral phase generators are theoretically constructed to convert beams with plane wavefront into beams with spiral phase. More importantly, the topological charges of the generated vortex beams can be dynamically tuned by the graphene Fermi energy in a broadband frequency range from 4.5 to 5.5 THz. This work provides a simple technology for the generation of vortex beams and the flexible modulation of the topological charge, which would inspire the application potential of the vortex beam.