A-Meta: A UK-US Collaboration for Active Metamaterials Research
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Metamaterials are artificial materials with characteristics beyond those found in nature and that enable on-demand control of energy, waves and information to realise game-changing product performance, energy efficiency and functionality. Designed with structure and inclusions on the atom-to-wavelength scale, they underpin exciting emerging trends across a range of markets, e.g., telecommunications, aerospace, medical, sensors, automotive radar, imaging, anti-counterfeiting, camouflage, vibration suppression and more. Numerous market research studies predict significant growth, for example, by 2030 the metamaterial device market is expected to reach a value of over $10bn [e.g., Lux Research 2019].
Conventional metamaterials have a response or functionality that is fixed at the time of manufacture. Furthermore, metamaterials often suffer from functionality only over a relatively narrow band of frequencies, whereas many of today's applications require multifunctionality and reconfigurability, while reducing size, weight power and cost. The topic of this proposal, tunable, reconfigurable and programmable metamaterials and active devices, offers the potential of dynamic functionality in order to respond to external stimuli, or change functionality in real-time to meet specific application requirements.
In our "A-Meta" collaboration we exploit synergies between the expertise and facilities of the University of Exeter's Centre for Metamaterial Research and Innovation (CMRI) in the UK, and the National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Metamaterials (CfM) in the USA. Together, we focus on three novel methods for enabling metamaterial tunability: phase-change-metasurfaces in the optical regime; photoexcitation of semiconductors for the microwave and THz; and polymer-loaded locally resonant meta-atoms for phononics and elastic waves. Our long list of project partners (Airbus, BAE Systems, Ball Aerospace, Bodkin Design, British Telecommunications, Dstl, Metamaterial Technologies, M.Ventures (Merck), NASA, Oxford Instruments, Phoebus Optoelectronics, QinetiQ, Thales, Transense Technologies, and Wave Optics) demonstrates the timely and strategic importance of active metamaterials and associated devices. Their letters of support detail strong relevance to applications such as wireless communication, sensing, filtering, imaging, consumer electronics, autonomous vehicles, RF devices, efficient and fast computing, high performance mechanical structures, manufacturing processes, and underwater sound control.
Conventional metamaterials have a response or functionality that is fixed at the time of manufacture. Furthermore, metamaterials often suffer from functionality only over a relatively narrow band of frequencies, whereas many of today's applications require multifunctionality and reconfigurability, while reducing size, weight power and cost. The topic of this proposal, tunable, reconfigurable and programmable metamaterials and active devices, offers the potential of dynamic functionality in order to respond to external stimuli, or change functionality in real-time to meet specific application requirements.
In our "A-Meta" collaboration we exploit synergies between the expertise and facilities of the University of Exeter's Centre for Metamaterial Research and Innovation (CMRI) in the UK, and the National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Metamaterials (CfM) in the USA. Together, we focus on three novel methods for enabling metamaterial tunability: phase-change-metasurfaces in the optical regime; photoexcitation of semiconductors for the microwave and THz; and polymer-loaded locally resonant meta-atoms for phononics and elastic waves. Our long list of project partners (Airbus, BAE Systems, Ball Aerospace, Bodkin Design, British Telecommunications, Dstl, Metamaterial Technologies, M.Ventures (Merck), NASA, Oxford Instruments, Phoebus Optoelectronics, QinetiQ, Thales, Transense Technologies, and Wave Optics) demonstrates the timely and strategic importance of active metamaterials and associated devices. Their letters of support detail strong relevance to applications such as wireless communication, sensing, filtering, imaging, consumer electronics, autonomous vehicles, RF devices, efficient and fast computing, high performance mechanical structures, manufacturing processes, and underwater sound control.
Organisations
- UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (Lead Research Organisation)
- Clarkson University (Collaboration)
- City University of New York (CUNY) (Collaboration)
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (Collaboration)
- Duke University (Collaboration)
- MSD (United States) (Project Partner)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Project Partner)
- Qinetiq (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- BT Group (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- National Science Foundation (Project Partner)
- Waveoptics (Project Partner)
- Metamaterial Technologies UK (Project Partner)
- Airbus (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Project Partner)
- Transense Technologies plc (Project Partner)
- Ball Corporation (Project Partner)
- Phoebus Optoelectronics (United States) (Project Partner)
- City University of New York (Project Partner)
- Thales (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Bodkin Design & Engineering (United States) (Project Partner)
- Oxford Instruments (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- BAE Systems (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
Publications
Chaplain G
(2023)
Reconfigurable Elastic Metamaterials: Engineering Dispersion with Beyond Nearest Neighbors
in Physical Review Applied
Hooper I
(2022)
Engineering the carrier lifetime and switching speed in Si-based mm-wave photomodulators
in Journal of Applied Physics
Hooper I
(2022)
Waveguide-Mode-Enhanced Millimeter-Wave Photomodulators
in Physical Review Applied
Mrnka M
(2023)
Terahertz imaging through emissivity control
in Optica
Mrnka M
(2024)
A Dual-Band Spaceplate: Contracting the Volume of Quasi-Optical Systems
in IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques
Penketh H
(2024)
Real-time millimeter wave holography with an arrayed detector
in Optics Express
Pouya C
(2024)
Metamaterial control of the surface acoustic wave streaming jet
in Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
Shields J
(2023)
A Route to Ultra-Fast Amplitude-Only Spatial Light Modulation using Phase-Change Materials (Advanced Optical Materials 18/2023)
in Advanced Optical Materials
Shields J
(2023)
A Route to Ultra-Fast Amplitude-Only Spatial Light Modulation using Phase-Change Materials
in Advanced Optical Materials
Description | The international collaboration is on-going but we are well into the A-Meta project. The project has three research challenge strands and each lead has reported their progress to date: Research Challenge 1: We have developed novel reconfigurable non-local phase-change metasurfaces for high-speed and low-power optical processing in next generation smart imaging and vision systems. The metasurface is configured to realize different computing functions when its integral phase-change meta-atoms are switched between amorphous and crystalline phases. More specifically we have demonstrated optical edge detection and bright-field imaging modes on the same device. Research Challenge 2: We have developed optically controlled reconfigurable metasurfaces for high-speed beam steering in the troublesome mm-wave band. Switching of these metasurfaces has recently been demonstrated, and prototype designs for remote sensing and 6G communications are in development. Research Challenge 3: Micro-scale SAW metamaterials: We have analysed the interaction between a micron scale phononic (surface acoustic wave) metamaterial with water. Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are used extensively in microfluidics, and we were able to show that the metamaterials allows control of the surface acoustic wave streaming jet. This offers a new tool to tailor the designs of SAW microfluidic devices for applications such as microfluidic mixing, SAW swimming, and nanoparticle manipulation. Clarkson University collaboration: 3D printed millimetre-scale metamaterials: Collaboration with Clarkson University has led to new designs, based on local resonators, for artefacts for the in-situ monitoring of additive layer manufacturing processing. These could provide more sensitivity to changes during the processing, allowing for improved real-time quality monitoring of additive manufacturing. |
Exploitation Route | The positive outcomes of working with international collaborators: developing expertise and knowledge by working closely with other teams, developing knowledge of and access to their skills and for them to have the ability to do the same reciprocally. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Electronics Energy Environment Healthcare Security and Diplomacy Other |
Description | Beam Steering in the mm-wave band (PhD studentship contribution) |
Amount | £25,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | BT Group |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2023 |
End | 09/2027 |
Description | Continued collaboration with original USA A-Meta partners (Research Challenge 2) |
Organisation | Clarkson University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Continued international collaboration in A-Meta research with our original partners. |
Collaborator Contribution | Continued international collaboration with our USA partners, David Crouse, Tino Hoffman and Mario Mencagli from Clarkson University, New York. |
Impact | Collaborative research is on-going. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Continued collaboration with original USA A-Meta partners (Research Challenge 3) |
Organisation | Clarkson University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Continued development of research. |
Collaborator Contribution | Continued international collaboration with Cetin Cetinkaya at Clarkson University, one of our original A-Meta USA partners). |
Impact | Collaborative research is on-going. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Continued strong collaboration with original USA A-Meta partners (Research Challenge 1). |
Organisation | City University of New York (CUNY) |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Joint international collaboration, as per the original collaboration agreement, with original A-Meta partners in modelling and experimental support. |
Collaborator Contribution | Joint collaboration in the project with Prof Andrea Alu from the Advanced Science Research Center, CUNY, and Profs Glen Boreman, Prof Tino Hoffman, Dr Lou Deguzman and Dr Mario Mencagli, William States Lee College of Engineering and The Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications Center, UNCC, Charlotte, North Carolina. |
Impact | Project is on-going. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Continued strong collaboration with original USA A-Meta partners (Research Challenge 1). |
Organisation | University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Joint international collaboration, as per the original collaboration agreement, with original A-Meta partners in modelling and experimental support. |
Collaborator Contribution | Joint collaboration in the project with Prof Andrea Alu from the Advanced Science Research Center, CUNY, and Profs Glen Boreman, Prof Tino Hoffman, Dr Lou Deguzman and Dr Mario Mencagli, William States Lee College of Engineering and The Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications Center, UNCC, Charlotte, North Carolina. |
Impact | Project is on-going. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | New collaboration in active metasurfaces. |
Organisation | Duke University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | New joint collaborative research in active metasurfaces for beam steering has been established with Prof David Smith at Duke University, USA with talks on-going towards a funded project by NASA to start July 2024. |
Collaborator Contribution | New joint collaborative research in active metasurfaces for beam steering has been established with Prof David Smith at Duke University, USA with talks on-going towards a funded project by NASA to start July 2024. |
Impact | On-going collaboration. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | New collaboration in optical computing |
Organisation | University of Oxford |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Joint collaboration in active metamaterials for optical computing. |
Collaborator Contribution | A new relationship with Prof Harish Bhaskaran's group in the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford. |
Impact | Results are still on-going. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Film: Introducing Metamaterials |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Shields J. et al., Metamaterials: An introduction, 12th January 2024 YouTube video. Joe Shields from Research Challenge 1 contributed to a joint film on introducing metamaterials to a wider public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://youtu.be/pTXklyvnHic?feature=shared |
Description | Library Pop-up, Exeter Library Outreach event (Joe Shields, Research Challenge 1) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Outreach event to raise awareness of Exeter Photonics at Exeter Library. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Pint of Science festival talk (Joe Shields, Research Challenge 1) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Researchers meet in pubs and other public spaces and share their research and findings. It brings together the scientific community and the general public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://pintofscience.com/about/ |
Description | Science Day at Cheriton Bishop School (Joe Shields, Research Challenge 1) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Participation in an outreach event to encourage interest in Science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Sidmouth Science Festival (Joe Shields, Research Challenge 1) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Encouragement of young people to study and work in STEM subjects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.bing.com/search?q=sidmouth+science+festival+2022&FORM=R5FD2 |
Description | Sidmouth Science Festival (Prof Euan Hendry, Research Challenge 2) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | A talk at an event aimed at attracting young people to study STEM subjects and look at potential careers in this area. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.sidmouthsciencefestival.org/ |
Description | Sidmouth Science Festival (Stuart Kendall, Research Challenge 1) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Stuart Kendall is a PhD student working on Research Challenge 1. he spoke at Sidmouth Science Festival to encourage young people to study and look at careers in STEM subjects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.sidmouthsciencefestival.org/ |
Description | Torbay Hi-Tech Cluster Research Conference Poster presentation (Stuart Kendal et al. Research challenge 1) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presenting a research poster to the Torbay Hi-Tech Cluster, a leading industry group in Photonics and microelectronics in the South West UK. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://pintofscience.com/about/ |