Solid state lidar with silicon photonics and metasurface

Abstract

A device includes a substrate an array of disk-shaped structures arranged above the substrate. Each disk-shaped structure includes an aperture filled with an optoelectrical material. A method includes passing a light beam through a metasurface. The method also includes varying voltage applied to the metasurface to change a phase of the light beam to steer the light beam in a two-dimensional pattern.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A device comprising:
 a substrate; and   an array of disk-shaped structures arranged above the substrate, each disk-shaped structure includes an aperture filled with an optoelectrical material.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the optoelectrical material comprises indium tin oxide or a liquid-crystal material. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the array of disk-shaped structures includes 10,000-50,000 disk-shaped structures. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 electrodes coupled to each of the disk-shaped structures.   
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the electrodes are positioned at a center of each of the disk-shaped structures. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the electrodes comprise gold. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a power source coupled to the electrodes and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to vary voltage applied to the electrodes.   
     
     
         8 . The device of claim  7 , wherein the voltage is varied to steer a beam emitted from the array of disk-shaped structures. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the disk-shaped structures comprise silicon. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a light source arranged to direct a light beam towards the substrate towards a bottom side of the disk-shaped structures.   
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein separate portions of the light beam pass through each disk-shaped structure, wherein the disk-shaped structures are configured to steer the portions of the light beam in two dimensions. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a cover in which the disk-shaped structures are embedded, wherein a single beam is emitted from the cover.   
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the disk-shaped structures are separated by at least one half of a wavelength of light passed through the disk-shaped structures. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the aperture is slot-shaped. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the aperture makes the disk-shaped structures nonsymmetrical. 
     
     
         16 . A system comprising:
 a substrate that is at least semi-transparent; and   a tunable metasurface optically coupled to the substrate and arranged to steer a light beam in two dimensions.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a light source optically coupled to the substrate and to the tunable metasurface and arranged to direct the light beam towards the substrate and the metasurface.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a light sensor arranged to detect light backscattered from the light beam.   
     
     
         19 . A method comprising:
 passing a light beam through a metasurface; and   varying voltage applied to the metasurface to change a phase of the light beam to steer the light beam in a two-dimensional pattern.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the metasurface includes an array of disk-shaped structures, wherein passing the light beam through the metasurface includes passing separate portions of the light beam through individual disk-shaped structures in the array.