Color-Selective and Versatile Light Steering with up-Scalable Subwavelength Planar Optics

Abstract

Resonant waveguide gratings (RWGs) are subwavelength structures of great interest for biosensors, optical filters and optical security applications. We demonstrate and characterize a beam steering device, where the in-coupling and out-coupling processes make use of different RWGs that share the same ultrathin dielectric waveguide. This device enables selective color-filtering and redirection of a white light source (such as a white LED). Furthermore, this structure is compatible with up-scalable fabrication processes such as roll-to-roll replication, and is relevant for high-volume production. Because of its color selectivity and its use in low coherence illumination conditions, such a beam steering device could be implemented in a variety of optical applications such as optical security, multifocal or monochromatic lenses, biosensors, and see-through optical combiners for near-eye displays.