Additive and Subtractive Color Filters Based on Birefringent Dielectric Metasurfaces

Abstract

Dielectric metasurfaces offer a path to high-efficiency optical components at the sub-wavelength scale. In this work, we utilize the wavelength-dependent birefringence of TiO2 nanopillars to create transmissive color filters with switchable spectral responses. We demonstrate that the same physical nanostructure array can function as either an additive (band-pass) or a subtractive (band-stop) filter solely by rotating an external polarizer. The metasurface was fabricated via a modified damascene process, enabling high-aspect-ratio structures with spatial resolutions down to 250 nm. The filters achieve transmission efficiencies of 70% tailorable across the entire visible spectrum, avoiding the ohmic losses typical of plasmonic alternatives. This approach provides a tunable, high-efficiency platform offering a versatile and compact solution for next-generation high-resolution imaging systems.