Metasurface polarization splitter

Abstract

Polarization beam splitters, devices that separate the two orthogonal polarizations of light into different propagation directions, are one of the most ubiquitous optical elements. However, traditionally polarization splitters rely on bulky optical materials, while emerging optoelectronic and photonic circuits require compact, chip-scale polarization splitters. Here we show that a subwavelength rectangular lattice of cylindrical silicon Mie resonators functions as a polarization splitter, efficiently reflecting one polarization while transmitting the other. We show that the polarization splitting arises from the anisotropic permittivity and permeability of the metasurface due to the two-fold rotational symmetry of the rectangular unit cell. The high polarization efficiency, low loss, and low profile make these metasurface polarization splitters ideally suited for monolithic integration with optoelectronic and photonic circuits.