Plasmonic Metasurfaces Produce Print and Holograms Simultaneously

In the realm of optical technology, a new process is emerging that uses ultrathin plasmonic metasurfaces, capable of simultaneously enabling full-colour printing and holography on a centimetre scale. These metasurfaces leverage photonic spin– orbit interactions excited by surface plasmon polaritons (SPP), opening the door to a new era of high-security applications and mass-produced optical devices.

Traditional metasurfaces, composed of subwavelength structures, have already demonstrated their usefulness in manipulating fundamental properties of light such as amplitude, phase, and polarisation. This has led to the development of various optical devices, including holograms and prints, both looking promising as next- generation optical security and storage solutions. However, achieving simultaneous control of phase and amplitude for large- scale, full-colour printing and holography has been a challenge.