Ultra‐High Contrast Terahertz Modulation and Pixelated Display Based on VO 2 Metasurface

Abstract

ABSTRACT The development of high‐performance, dynamically reconfigurable devices is important for advancing Terahertz (THz) technology. Vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ), a metal‐insulator transition oxide with a near‐room‐temperature critical point, is promising for infrared (IR) and THz modulation. However, achieving simultaneous high transmission in the ON state, deep suppression in the OFF state, and electrical programmability in a broadband THz device remains challenging. Here, we propose an electrically controlled VO 2 THz metasurface that overcomes these limitations. Our design yields an ultra‐high transmission switching ratio of 10 000 at 0.88 THz in simulation and a broad bandwidth from 0.2 to 1.3 THz (switching ratio >100). It maintains a high transmission of 0.85 in the insulating state while suppressing transmission to ∼10 −4 in the metallic state, corresponding to a modulation depth exceeding 99.9%. Based on the multiple THz transmission levels, we demonstrate a proof‐of‐concept reconfigurable pixelated display, which highlights the potential of our high‐contrast metasurface for THz spatial light modulation applications. By integrating our VO 2 metasurface with a Ni/Pt bilayer for electrical gating of spintronic THz emission, a compact, amplitude‐modulated THz source is fabricated. Our work establishes a robust platform for high‐performance, programmable THz devices, bridging the gap between static meta‐materials and dynamic photonic systems for imaging, communications, and integrated applications.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Laser & Photonics Review, 2026 · DOI ↗