Nonlinear analog processing with anisotropic nonlinear films

Year: 2025

Authors: Cotrufo M., De Ceglia D., Jung H., Brener I., Neshev D., De Angelis C., Alsch A.

Autors Affiliation: CUNY, Adv Sci Res Ctr, Photon Initiat, New York, NY 10031 USA; Univ Rochester, Inst Opt, Rochester, NY 14627 USA; Univ Brescia, CNIT & Dept Informat Engn, Via Branze,38, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; CNR, Ist Nazl Ott, Via Branze,45, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; Sandia Natl Labs, Ctr Integrated Nanotechnol, POB 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185 USA; Australian Natl Univ, ARC Ctr Excellence Transformat Meta Opt Syst TMOS, Res Sch Phys, Canberra, Australia; CUNY, Grad Ctr, Phys Program, New York, NY 10016 USA.

Abstract: Digital signal processing is the cornerstone of several modern-day technologies, yet in multiple applications it faces critical bottlenecks related to memory and speed constraints. Thanks to recent advances in metasurface design and fabrication, light-based analog computing has emerged as a viable option to partially replace or augment digital approaches. Several light-based analog computing functionalities have been demonstrated using patterned flat optical elements, with great opportunities for integration in compact nanophotonic systems. So far, however, the available operations have been restricted to the linear regime, limiting the impact of this technology to a compactification of Fourier optics systems. In this paper, we introduce nonlinear operations to the field of metasurface-based analog optical processing, demonstrating that nonlinear optical phenomena, combined with nonlocality in flat optics, can be leveraged to synthesize kernels beyond linear Fourier optics, paving the way to a broad range of new opportunities. As a practical demonstration, we report the experimental synthesis of a class of nonlinear operations that can be used to realize broadband, polarization-selective analog-domain edge detection.

Journal/Review: NANOPHOTONICS

More Information: Air Force Office of Scientific Research MURI pro gram; Simons Foundation. Ministero dell’Istruzione e del Merito (METEOR, PRIN-2020 2020EY2LJT_002); H2020 Future and Emerging Technologies (FETOPEN-2018-2020 899673, METAFAST). Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence Program (CE200100010). IB and HJ acknowledge support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering. This work was performed in part at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. This paper describes objective technical results and analysis. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.
KeyWords: metasurfaces; nonlinear; analog image processing
DOI: 10.1515/nanoph-2024-0770