  Despite a plethora of applications ranging from quantum memories to
high-resolution lithography, the current technologies to generate vector vortex
beams (VVBs) suffer from less efficient energy use, poor resolution, low damage
threshold, bulky size and complicated experimental setup, preventing further
practical applications. We propose and experimentally demonstrate an approach
to generate VVBs with a single metasurface by locally tailoring phase and
transverse polarization distribution. This method features the spin-orbit
coupling and the superposition of the converted part with an additional phase
pickup and the residual part without a phase change. By maintaining the equal
components for the converted part and the residual part, the cylindrically
polarized vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum are experimentally
demonstrated based on a single metasurface at subwavelength scale. The proposed
approach provides unprecedented freedom in engineering the properties of
optical waves with the high-efficiency light utilization and a minimal
footprint.
