Blob Detection for Photonic Metasurface Designing: Angular and Spectral Control of Scattered Light

Abstract

Metasurfaces with precise spectral and angular control of light scattering are of growing interest for photonic applications requiring advanced photon management. Correlated disorder emerged as a promising route for angular control of light scattering, but most design approaches are computationally expensive or do not allow spectral tunability. Here, we introduce a reverse-engineering design approach for correlated-disordered metasurfaces based on tailoring the Fourier space and blob detection to create point distributions that are later "decorated" with individually designed nano-resonators or meta-atoms to tune the optical response for the desired functionality. We validate the control of the angular scattering by fabricating ensembles of Au nanopillars following our design and characterizing their angular scattering with Fourier microscopy. Using finite-difference time-domain simulations, we demonstrate how the choice of decorative unit tunes the spectral response, showcasing individual and independent control over light scattering in angular and spectral terms. Lastly, we expand the limits of our versatile approach by combining multiple metasurfaces in one, effectively adding their individual scattering characteristics. As such, we can address spectral and angular ranges independently, yielding a high degree of control of the scattering response.