Edge detection imaging by quasi-bound states in the continuum

Optical metasurfaces have revolutionized analog computing and image processing at sub-wavelength scales with faster speed and lower power consumption. They typically involve spatial differentiation with engineered angular dispersion. Quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BICs) have recently eme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2024-08
Main Authors: Liu, Tingting, Qiu, Jumin, Xu, Lei, Qin, Meibao, Wan, Lipeng, Yu, Tianbao, Liu, Qiegen, Huang, Lujun, Xiao, Shuyuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computation
Differentiation
Edge detection
Image enhancement
Image processing
Metasurfaces
Optical properties
Optical resonance
Power management
Unit cell
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Optical metasurfaces have revolutionized analog computing and image processing at sub-wavelength scales with faster speed and lower power consumption. They typically involve spatial differentiation with engineered angular dispersion. Quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BICs) have recently emerged as a powerful tool for tailoring properties of optical resonances. While quasi-BICs have been explored in various applications that require high \(Q\)-factors and enhanced field confinement, their full potential in image processing remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate edge detection imaging by leveraging a quasi-BIC in an all-dielectric metasurface. This metasurface, composed of four nanodisks per unit cell, supports a polarization-independent quasi-BIC through structural perturbations, allowing simultaneously engineering \(Q\)-factor and angular dispersion. Importantly, we find that with suitable parameters, this quasi-BIC metasurface can perform isotropic two-dimensional spatial differentiation, which is the core element for realizing edge detection. Following the theoretical design, we fabricate the metasurfaces on the silicon-on-insulator platform and experimentally validate their capability of high-quality, efficient, and uniform edge detection imaging under different incident polarizations. Our results illuminate the mechanisms of edge detection with quasi-BIC metasurfaces and highlight new opportunities for their application in ultra-compact, low-power optical computing devices.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.2408.10106