Phase-shifting structured illumination with polarization-encoded metasurface

Abstract: Phase-shifting structured illumination is a powerful technique used across diverse imaging modalities, including 3D surface measurement, quantitative phase imaging, and super-resolution microscopy. However, conventional implementations often rely on mechanically driven or optoelectronically complex systems, limiting their compactness, stability, and integration. Here, we present a polarization-controlled dielectric metasurface that generates phase-shifting fringe patterns in the visible spectrum, enabling compact and robust structured light projection. The metasurface encodes distinct phase gratings for orthogonal polarizations, producing fringe patterns with relative lateral displacements that vary according to the polarization of the transmitted light. We experimentally demonstrate high-quality fringe generation and apply the structured illumination in a fringe projection profilometry system for 3D surface measurement of different objects. The metasurface integrates multiple phase-shifting steps into a single static device, offering a millimeter-scale footprint and compatibility with polarization multiplexing. This approach introduces a compact, passive solution for structured light generation with broad potential in next-generation optical metrology and advanced computational imaging.