Memristive crossbar architecture for programmable and scalable terahertz metasurface

Abstract Programmable terahertz (THz) metasurfaces have emerged as a versatile platform for dynamic wavefront control, offering possibilities for high-capacity wireless communication and advanced sensing. Realizing full wavefront control requires scaling to large-format arrays with pixel-level reconfigurability, but this is fundamentally limited by inter-pixel crosstalk and the increasing complexity of electrical interconnections. Here, we present a scalable, pixel-level programmable metasurface addressing architecture inspired by the crossbar architecture of memristor arrays, and implement it in the THz regime. By integrating VO 2 -based snapback selectors, this design effectively suppresses sneak path currents, allowing low-crosstalk addressing of each pixel. A modular row-column tiling scheme facilitates scaling to large arrays while preserving per-pixel programmability. We further demonstrate independent two-dimensional phase modulation and non-volatile THz beam steering. This work provides a theoretical framework and design paradigm for a versatile and scalable photonic platform spanning the THz to optical regimes.