Monolithically Integrated Metasurface on a PCSEL for Depth Perception.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40644602.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c02540 and PMC identifier 12291584.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Dot projectors are pivotal for depth perception in modern consumer electronics, from smartphones to extended reality devices, enabling applications in computational imaging, machine vision, and privacy-preserving technologies. However, existing dot projector designs face significant challenges related to their size and power consumption. Here, we demonstrate the first monolithic integration of a metasurface hologram and a photonic crystal surface-emitting laser (PCSEL) to realize a chip-scale structured light projector. This approach achieves unprecedented reductions in both device footprint and power usage, while preserving practical 3D sensing capabilities. Our wafer-level design features a compact footprint of 0.025 mm<sup>3</sup>, representing an approximately 2450-fold reduction in volume compared to commercial DOE-VCSEL dot projectors, while also reducing power consumption by 28.7%. The integration strategy offers promising fabrication compatibility and represents a transformative advancement in a compact transceiver system, paving the way for next-generation applications in biometrics, extended reality, and consumer electronics.