Interaction of semiconductor metasurfaces with short laser pulses: From nonlinear-optical response toward spatiotemporal shaping

Abstract

The interaction of optically resonant semiconductor metasurfaces with intense, ultrashort laser pulses can be harnessed for enhancing and tailoring nonlinear frequency generation and ultrafast all-optical effects. Additionally, the dispersive nature of the metasurface response offers important opportunities to temporally shape the pulses themselves. Following a brief review of the state of the art of nonlinear, dispersive, and ultrafast semiconductor metasurfaces, this Perspective outlines possible future research directions and application opportunities for semiconductor metasurfaces operated in conjunction with ultrashort or shaped laser pulses. In particular, we speculate on possibilities for synthesizing arbitrary spatiotemporal light fields using specially designed metasurfaces as well as on potential application scenarios of the generated light fields.