Electrically programmable pixelated coherent mid-infrared thermal emission
Active metasurfaces have recently emerged as compact, lightweight, and efficient platforms for dynamic control of electromagnetic fields and optical responses. However, the complexities associated with their post-fabrication tunability significantly hinder their widespread applications, especially for the mid-infrared range due to material scarcity and design intricacy. Here, we experimentally demonstrate highly dynamic, pixelated modulations of coherent mid-infrared emission based on an electrically programmable plasmonic metasurface integrated with graphene field-effect transistors (Gr-FETs). The ultrabroad infrared transparency of graphene allows for customized control over plasmonic meta-atoms, thus achieving coherent mid-infrared states across a broad range of wavelengths, directions, and polarizations. The spatial temperature modulation generated by Gr-FETs is effectively synergized with the emissivity control by the localized surface plasmon polaritons and quasi-bound states in the continuum from gold nanoantennas. This integrated temperature-emissivity modulation of metasurfaces is systematically extended to form a pixelated 2D array with low crosstalk, envisioning advanced approaches toward scalable 2D electrical wiring for densely packed, independently addressable pixels.
Authors
- Rui Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2457-4805)
- Jiayu Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6711-2427)
- Zhien Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6120-1952)
- Xiao Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3526-7333)
- Zexiao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2170-6112)
- Haozhe Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5123-1077)
- Sen Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3847-6146)
- Yibai Zhong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5741-9151)
- Jingyi Zou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5135-2888)
- Jing Kong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0551-1208)
- Hyeong Seok Yun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0920-8070)
- Xu Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0474-5846)
- Zhuo Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3861-3681)
- Sheng Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9951-0814)
- Tianyi Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7153-6978)
- Han Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7335-0947)
- Xiu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1802-691X)
Institutions
- University of Southern California (US)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Carnegie Mellon University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-02-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56811-z
- Citations
- 12
- Primary Topic
- Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 11.44
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Semiconductor Research Corporation
- Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
- Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command
- Army Research Office