This invention discloses a
photodetector system and method based on pixelated nano-opto-electro-mechanical programmable gratings. The
detector includes an input
waveguide, a pixelated nano-opto-electro-mechanical
grating array optically coupled to the input
waveguide, an output
waveguide network, and at least one
photodetector unit. The pixelated nano-opto-electro-mechanical
grating array consists of multiple
grating pixel units discretely arranged along the
light propagation direction. Each grating pixel unit has an electrically drivable micro / nano-
levitation structure and an
electrode structure. By applying a driving
voltage, electromechanical displacement is generated, thereby modulating the
coupling strength and / or
phase response between the pixel unit and the waveguide, thus achieving spectrally selective
coupling, transmission suppression, splitting, or shaping of the incident light. The output waveguide network couples the spectrally shaped optical
signal to the
detector array to achieve multi-channel
parallel detection. This scheme has the advantages of being ultra-compact, low-power, programmable, arrayable, and easy to integrate on-
chip, making it suitable for applications such as communication monitoring and multispectral imaging.