Can AI agents design metasurfaces faster?
A multi-agentic framework for real-time, autonomous freeform metasurface design
This paper introduces MetaChat, a multi-agent framework for automating and accelerating the design of nanophotonic devices like metasurfaces. It uses Large Language Models (LLMs) as agents that interact with each other, tools (like a fast surrogate electromagnetic simulator called FiLM WaveY-Net), and human users to translate design goals into device layouts. MetaChat employs a novel "Agentic Iterative Monologue" (AIM) paradigm, where agents refine their actions based on intermediate feedback and self-reflection, enabling more autonomous and adaptable design processes compared to existing LLM workflows. The key LLM-relevant points are the AIM paradigm, the use of specialized agents (design and materials experts), and the integration of LLMs with external tools like the fast simulator and a material database through an API-based interface. This enables complex, multi-objective design tasks to be completed orders of magnitude faster than conventional methods.