Wavelength division multiplexing large-aperture multi-order differential metasurface calculator

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/ae067d

Abstract Optical differentiation is crucial for high-speed image processing, but most optical analog spatial differentiators based on metasurfaces are currently limited to a single type of low-order differentiation operation. We present a dielectric metasurface composed of silicon hollow cylinders that leverages electric quadrupole (EQD) and magnetic dipole (MD) resonances to achieve wavelength-tunable two-dimensional (2D) multi-order differentiation. Specifically, at 1340 nm (MD-dominant), 1140 nm (hybrid EQD-MD), and 1010 nm (EQD-dominant), the metasurface performs second-, fourth-, and sixth-order differentiations, respectively. The device features a 430-nm bandwidth, a maximum numerical aperture of 0.71, and a maximum transmittance of 96%, enabling high-quality edge extraction for complex images. We believe this to be the first integration of wavelength-division multiplexing and multi-order differentiation in a single-layer metasurface, advancing compact and multifunctional optical computing for applications such as autonomous driving and medical imaging.

Keywords: optical differential calculation wavelength division multiplexing dielectric metasurface

Received: 16 July 2025
Revised: 03 September 2025
Accepted manuscript online: 15 September 2025

PACS:	78.67.Pt	(Multilayers; superlattices; photonic structures; metamaterials)
	42.79.Hp	(Optical processors, correlators, and modulators)
	42.30.Kq	(Fourier optics)
	42.30.Va	(Image forming and processing)

Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11804161), the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology (Grant No. OEIAPT202502), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant Nos. 30923010907 and 2025201010).

Corresponding Authors: Yikai Chen
E-mail: ykchen@njust.edu.cn

Cite this article:

Liming Wei(魏黎明), Anting Gao(高安廷), Junfeng Li(李俊锋), Wenke Lan(兰文科), Xilong Liu(刘喜龙), and Yikai Chen(陈漪恺) Wavelength division multiplexing large-aperture multi-order differential metasurface calculator 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 067802

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