A review of high-efficiency Pancharatnam–Berry metasurfaces

Manipulating circularly polarized (CP) electromagnetic waves as desired is important for a wide range of applications ranging from chiral-molecule manipulations to optical communication, but conventional natural-materials-based devices suffer from bulky configuration and low efficiencies. Recently, Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) metasurfaces have demonstrated strong capabilities to control CP waves in different frequency domains. In this article, we present a concise review on PB metasurfaces for CP light manipulations, focusing mainly on the research works done by our own group. After briefly introducing the working principles of PB metasurfaces, we separately discuss how to construct high-efficiency PB metasurfaces in reflection and transmission geometries, and how to utilize them to control CP waves in different frequency domains, including meta-lensing, meta-hologram, and surface couplers. Finally, we conclude this review with our perspectives on future developments of PB metasurfaces.