Design of Silicon Metasurfaces for Beam Deflecting in Solid-State Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR)

Presenter

Matthew Baker

Campus

Bridgewater State University

Sponsor

Elif Demirbas, Department of Physics, Photonics and Optical Engineering, Bridgewater State University

Schedule

Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A95, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 5 (A81-A100) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Our semiconductor laser research group focuses on advancing quantum dot laser design for silicon photonics, particularly in enhancing LiDAR systems for autonomous vehicles. The current LiDAR design faces challenges with a bulky and expensive rotating mirror, prompting researchers to propose a solution by integrating all components onto a single silicon wafer. The primary goal is to incorporate III-V laser dies with silicon metasurfaces for efficient beam steering, resulting in a more compact and cost-effective semiconductor LiDAR chip.

Simulations, conducted with COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6b software and the wave optics module, utilized cylindrical silicon posts on a silicon dioxide wafer. Each unit cell had five silicon posts with a height of 1 µm and radii ranging from 115 nm to 200 nm in 15 nm increments. The posts, with a refractive index of 3.48, were centered on 500 nm square cells, surrounded by air, with silicon dioxide as the substrate material.

Implementing periodic boundary conditions, the simulations covered all sides of the unit cells. Port 1 at the bottom served for incoming light with Ey = 1 V/m and Pin = 1 W, while Port 2 at the top was designated for outgoing light. Results exhibited varying confinement of light wavelengths in outer and inner rods, leading to beam deflection at Port 2. Subsequent designs with symmetrically mirrored metasurfaces around the axis midpoint enhanced deflection angles, achieving a broader scan area with a total transmittance of 83.2%.

Keywords

LiDAR, Lasers, COMSOL, Metasurfaces, Wave optics

Research Area

Engineering

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