Terahertz Metagrating Emitters with Beam Steering and Full Linear Polarization Control

We report the realization of broadband THz plasmonic metagrating emitters for simultaneous beam steering and all-optical linear polarization control. Two types of metagratings are designed and experimentally demonstrated. First, the plasmonic meta-atoms are arranged in a metagrating with a binary phase modulation which results in the nonlinear generation of THz waves to the ±1 diffraction orders, with complete suppression of the zeroth order. Complete tunability of the diffracted THz linear polarization direction is demonstrated through simple rotation of the pump polarization. Then, the concept of lateral phase shift is introduced into the design of the metagratings using interlaced phase gradients. By controlling the spatial shift of the submetagrating, we are able to continuously control the linear polarization states of the generated THz waves. This method results in a higher nonlinear diffraction efficiency relative to binary phase modulation. These functional THz metagratings show exciting promise to meet the challenges associated with the current diverse array of applications utilizing THz technology.