All-glass metasurface laser optics for lensing, antireflections, and waveplates

Abstract

Metasurfaces exhibit great potential to redefine limitations inhibiting high power laser optics. Some areas of expected improvement include throughput improvement with enhanced design flexibility, mitigation of filamentation damage by enabling thinner optics, and reduction in system complexity and price. Metasurface utilize engineered surface ‘layer’ with thickness on the order of the design wavelength, which consists of an array of sub-wavelength elements. Our methodology is based on scalable generation of sacrificial metal nanoparticle mask followed by directional etching to pattern the glass. The end-result all-glass metasurface has high laser damage durability, mechanical robustness, design flexibility and controllability of the metasurface features, and the ability to craft antireflective layers and basic optical elements. Recent advancements have been made resulting in ultra-broadband antireflective layers, induced birefringence in the glass for waveplates, and refined optical elements.