Ultrathin, Wide‐Angle, and High‐Resolution Meta‐Imaging System via Rear‐Position Wavevector Filter

Abstract

Ultrathin metalenses are a revolutionary technology that have emerged in recent years, offering the potential for high‐resolution, wide‐angle imaging in a compact form factor. However, to eliminate imaging aberrations, multilayered structures are often required, which makes the thickness of these devices comparable to the focal length, negating their ultrathin advantage. Here, a novel methodology using a rear‐position wavevector filter is proposed as a solution to this problem, allowing for the necessary thickness to be achieved in subwavelength scale and independent of metalens parameters. Compared with the previous wide‐angle metalens with the minimum ratio of thickness to focal length, this approach has been shown to compress the ratio of thickness to focal length by 55 times compared to traditional metalenses and has been experimentally demonstrated in both the visible and near‐infrared with a maximum diffraction‐limited field of view of over 120°. In addition, this approach can also compress the system length by 50% and increase imaging resolution by more than 3 times. This methodology can be scaled to all spectral bands and has the potential to revolutionize the design paradigm of imaging systems for industrial and research applications.

Multi-objectives optimization for catenary meta-optics via field-driven optimization

“…Metasurface, composed of arrays of subwavelength structures, has been widely applied in areas such as vector light generation 1, 2 , holographic [3][4][5] , imaging [6][7][8][9] , and information encryption [10][11][12] due to its compact nature and great ability. By adjusting the arrangement, size, and orientation angle of the structures on the metasurface, flexible wavefront modulation can be realized in the plane.…”

Stereo Imaging with a Hemispherical Field-of-View Metalens Camera

“…However, while advancements in image processing tools have led to faster and more accurate depth estimation in stereo imaging, effectively fulfilling the diverse requirements of various applications, it is important to note that the use of traditional refractive lenses imposes certain limitations on camera functionalities and size. To circumvent these issues, dielectric metasurfaces, i.e., arrays of nanostructures with subwavelength dimensions, patterned on a thin (typically glass) substrate, are promising alternatives to replace refractive optical systems with advantages in terms of the form factor, unprecedented functionalities, and cost-effectiveness, due to their large-scale manufacturability. − In this regard, metalenses, i.e., metasurfaces acting as lenses, ,− have shown particular promise due to their ability not only to replace but to outperform traditional lenses by, e.g., enabling advanced functionalities that are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with a single refractive lens (such as near-unity NA focusing , and single layer wide FOV imaging − ). In the context of 3D detection, metalenses have been explored using different concepts such as the dispersive behavior of metalenses, bifocal metalenses, complex engineered point-spread functions, − or stereo imaging with binocular metalens for short-range underwater imaging .…”

Simultaneous Circular Dichroism and Wavefront Manipulation with Generalized Pancharatnam–Berry Phase Metasurfaces

“…Metasurfaces are the two-dimensional equivalent of metamaterials, possessing the remarkable ability to flexibly manipulate the amplitude, phase, and polarization of electromagnetic waves by periodically arranging subwavelength structures, which opens a new era of digital optics. − Many exotic phenomena and applications have been observed with metasurfaces, such as the compact spectrometer, , optical computing, , optical biosensing, , quantum entanglement, , asymmetric photonic spin–orbit interactions, − achromatic and ultrawide-angle lenses, − and simultaneous circular dichroism and wavefront manipulation. − Various structures, such as the quasi-split-ring resonator, helical surface arrays, and chiral stepped nanoaperture, have been proposed. However, these methods increase the complexity of design and fabrication due to the requirement of structures to break the n -fold ( n > 2) rotational and mirror symmetries or vertical symmetry.…”