Shapeshifting Diffractive Optical Devices

In optical devices like diffraction gratings and Fresnel lenses, light wavefront is engineered through the structuring of device surface morphology, within thicknesses comparable to wavelength. Fabrication such diffractive elements involves highly accurate multistep lithographic processes that in fact set into stone both morphology functionality, resulting intrinsically static devices. this work, fundamental limitation overcome by introducing shapeshifting directly written on an erasable photoresponsive material, whose can be changed real time provide different on-demand functionalities. First a configuration allows writing/erasing cycles aligned path developed. Then, realization complex with arbitrary combinations grating vectors shown. Finally, lens reconfigured light-path order change imaging parameters system demonstrated. The approach leapfrogs state-of-the-art Fourier surfaces adding reconfiguration potential use emerging areas photonics, transformation planar optics.