Reconfigurable optical device having device elements with phase change material layers and corresponding heaters connected to a circuit

1 . A reconfigurable optical device comprising: a substrate comprising an electrical circuit; a plurality of device elements above the substrate that corresponds to a wavelength X, wherein each of the device elements are separated by a first pitch along a first direction and a second pitch along a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction, and the first pitch and the second pitch are each less than the wavelength X; a field ground metal; a heater plane dielectric; a capping dielectric; an encapsulating dielectric; and each device element in the plurality of device elements comprising: a resistive heater that is surrounded by the heater plane dielectric; a phase change material (PCM) layer comprising a chalcogenide-containing material; an optical antenna disposed atop the PCM layer; a capping portion of the capping dielectric above the resistive heater; and a capping metal above the capping portion and the resistive heater, wherein the capping metal and the field ground metal are the same material; wherein: the field ground metal is between each of the device elements; the encapsulating dielectric surrounds the PCM layer and the optical antenna in each of the device elements; and at least three device elements in the plurality of device elements have their respective resistive heaters connected in series to the electrical circuit in the substrate.

2 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical circuit enables electrical pulses to the respective resistive heaters for changing the material phase of the PCM layers to amorphous or polycrystalline.

3 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein for each device element in the plurality of device elements about 60% to 100% of the wavelength λ is reflected when the PCM layer is polycrystalline.

4 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein for each device element in the plurality of device elements about 0% to 40% of the wavelength λ is reflected when the PCM layer is amorphous.

5 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein the chalcogenide-containing material is selected from the group consisting of SbS, SbSe, SbTe, or an alloy thereof.

6 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 5 , wherein the thermally isolating dielectric comprises thermally isolating dielectric segments that are less than or equal to wavelength λ/2.

7 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 5 , wherein the width of the thermally isolating dielectric is less than or equal to the wavelength λ/5.

8 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , further comprising a thermally isolating dielectric, wherein for each device element in the plurality of device elements, the thermally isolating dielectric at least partially separates the capping metal above the resistive heater from the field ground metal.

9 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 8 , wherein the thermally isolating dielectric forms a closed loop that fully separates the capping metal above the resistive heater from the field ground metal.

10 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 8 , wherein the thermally isolating dielectric comprises at least 4 breaks occurring at regular intervals such that there are at least 4 locations of contact between the capping metal above the resistive heater and the field ground metal.

11 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 8 , wherein the thermally isolating dielectric has four-fold symmetry about an axis through the center of the antenna.

12 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical antenna has a width that is less than or equal to the wavelength λ/5.

13 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein the PCM layer has a width that is less than or equal to the wavelength λ/4.

14 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein the resistive heater has a width that is less than or equal to the wavelength λ/3.

15 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical antenna comprises a metal material.

16 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical antenna comprises a dielectric material.

17 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 1 , wherein the heater plane dielectric and the capping dielectric are the same material.

18 . The optical device of claim 1 , further comprising an interfacial layer between the capping metal and the PCM layer.

19 . The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular.

20 . A reconfigurable optical device comprising: a substrate comprising an electrical circuit; a plurality of n th device elements above the substrate that corresponds to an n th wavelength X, wherein n is an integer 1 to N, N is an integer of 2 or more and corresponds to the number of wavelengths that are reconfigurable to a reflective or absorbing state for the optical device, the n th device elements are interlaced with other device elements, and each of the n th device elements are separated by a first pitch along a first direction and a second pitch along a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction, where the first pitch and the second pitch are each less than the n th wavelength X; a field ground metal; a heater plane dielectric; a capping dielectric; an encapsulating dielectric; and each device element in the n th device elements comprising: a resistive heater that is surrounded by the heater plane dielectric; a phase change material (PCM) layer comprising a chalcogenide-containing material; an optical antenna disposed atop the PCM layer; a capping portion of the capping dielectric above the resistive heater; a capping metal above the capping portion and the resistive heater, wherein the capping metal and the field ground metal are the same material; and at least one dimension of either the PCM layer or the optical antenna that is tuned to the n th wavelength k; wherein: the field ground metal is between each of the n th device elements; the encapsulating dielectric surrounds the PCM layer and the optical antenna in each of the n th device elements; and at least three device elements in the plurality of n th device elements have their respective resistive heaters connected in series to the electrical circuit in the substrate.

21 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 20 , wherein the electrical circuit enables electrical pulses to the respective resistive heaters for changing the material phase of the PCM layers to amorphous or polycrystalline.

22 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 20 , wherein the chalcogenide-containing material is selected from the group consisting of SbS, SbSe, SbTe, or an alloy thereof.

23 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 20 , further comprising a thermally isolating dielectric, wherein for each device element in the plurality of device elements, the thermally isolating dielectric at least partially separates the capping metal above the resistive heater from the field ground metal.

24 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 23 , wherein the thermally isolating dielectric forms a closed loop that fully separates the capping metal above the resistive heater from the field ground metal.

25 . The reconfigurable optical device of claim 20 , wherein the n th device elements are interlaced with q th device elements that correspond to a q th wavelength λ q , where q is an integer 1 to N and q does not equal n.