Inverse-designed metasurfaces for highly saturated transmissive colors

Abstract

Advances in augmented reality and virtual reality platforms have sparked interest in high-performance metasurface color filters with elevated resolution, saturation, and durability. However, the predominant use of either dielectrics or metals prevents the realization of efficient “transmissive” color filters for displays. Here, we propose a novel, to our knowledge, approach combining dielectric and metallic components, optimizing complex structures using inverse design with height restrictions on the layers of red, green, and blue. The optimized structure achieved full coverage of the sRGB color space and surpassed 70% efficiency. Experimental validation demonstrated the potential of the inverse design for enhancing the performance of complex structures. © 2023 Optica Publishing Group.