Creating a Single Nanodevice That Displays a Record-High Number of Independent Images

Metasurface-based nano-printing has enabled ultrahigh-resolution grayscale or color image displays. However, the maximum number of independent nano-printing images achieved with one single-layer metasurface remains limited. This work substantially pushes the multiplexing capacity of nano-printing by mapping images observed at distinct viewing angles to different regions in Fourier space, while simultaneously controlling the complex electric field across multiple polarization channels. The proposed Polarization-Encoded Lenticular Nano-Printing (POLLEN) approach, aided by a modified evolutionary algorithm, enables the display of multiple images based on the viewing angles, similar to traditional lenticular printing but without requiring a lenticular layer. In addition, it expands the display functionality to encompass multiple polarization states. Empowered by the ability to control the complex amplitude of three polarization channels, generation of 13 distinct gray-scale Chinese ink wash painting images, 49 binary patterns, and three sets of 3D nano-printing images totaling 25 unique visuals was numerically and experimentally demonstrated. These results present the highest number of recorded images with ultrahigh resolution to date, opening new opportunities in modern optical applications, including but not limited to optical encryption, optical data storage, lightweight displays, augmented reality, and virtual reality.