Broadband high-efficiency dielectric metalenses based on quasi-continuous nanostrips

Benefiting from the abrupt phase changes within subwavelength thicknesses,metasurfaces have been widely applied for lightweight and compact optical systems.Simultaneous broadband and high-efficiency characteristics are highly attractive for the practical implementation of metasurfaces.However,current metasurface devices mostly adopt discrete micro/nano structures,which rarely realize both merits simultaneously.In this paper,dielectric metasurfaces composed of quasi-continuous nanostrips are proposed to overcome this limitation.Via quasi-continuous nanostrips metasurface,a normal focusing metalens and a superoscillatory lens overcoming the diffraction limit are designed and experimentally demonstrated.The quasi-continuous metadevices can operate in a broadband wavelength ranging from 450 nm to 1000nm and keep a high power efficiency.The average efficiency of the fabricated metalens reaches 54.24%,showing a significant improvement compared to the previously reported metalenses with the same thickness.The proposed methodology can be easily extended to design other metadevices with the advantages of broadband and high-efficiency in practical optical systems.

Focus control of wide-angle metalens based on digitally encoded metasurface

Based on the principle of super-symmetric lens with quadratic phase gradient transformation, combined with the principle of digital coding of metasurface, we propose a wide-angle coded metalens for focusing control in two-dimensional space. This metalens achieves focus shift in the x-direction by changing the oblique incidence angle of the incident wave,and focus control in the y-direction by combining with the convolution principle of the digitally coded metasurface to achieve flexible control of light focusing in the two-dimensional plane. The metasurface unit is mainly composed of threelayer of metal structure and two layers of medium, and the transmission phase is obtained by changing the middle layer of metal structure, which in turn obtains the required phase distribution of the metalens. The design of the metalens realizes the function of the lens with a large viewing angle at the x-polarized incidence, and realizes two-dimensional focus control. Experimentally, we prepared the designed coding metalens and tested the focus control function of the wide-angle coding metalens. The experimental results are in good agreement with the design results.

Physics-data-driven intelligent optimization for large-aperture metalenses

Metalenses have gained significant attention and have been widely utilized in optical systems for focusing and imaging,owing to their lightweight,high-integration,and exceptional-flexibility capabilities.Traditional design methods neglect the coupling effect between adjacent meta-atoms,thus harming the practical performance of meta-devices.The existing physical/data-driven optimization algorithms can solve the above problems,but bring significant time costs or require a large number of data-sets.Here,we propose a physics-data-driven method employing an“intelligent optimizer”that enables us to adaptively modify the sizes of the meta-atom according to the sizes of its surrounding ones.The implementation of such a scheme effectively mitigates the undesired impact of local lattice coupling,and the proposed network model works well on thousands of data-sets with a validation loss of 3×10^(−3).Based on the“intelligent optimizer”,a 1-cm-diameter metalens is designed within 3 hours,and the experimental results show that the 1-mm-diameter metalens has a relative focusing efficiency of 93.4%(compared to the ideal focusing efficiency)and a Strehl ratio of 0.94.Compared to previous inverse design method,our method significantly boosts designing efficiency with five orders of magnitude reduction in time.More generally,it may set a new paradigm for devising large-aperture meta-devices.

Multi-foci metalens for spectra and polarization ellipticity recognition and reconstruction

Multispectral and polarized focusing and imaging are key functions that are vitally important for a broad range of optical applications.Conventional techniques generally require multiple shots to unveil desired optical information and are implemented via bulky multi-pass systems or mechanically moving parts that are difficult to integrate into compact and integrated optical systems.Here,a design of ultra-compact transversely dispersive metalens capable of both spectrum and polarization ellipticity recognition and reconstruction in just a single shot is demonstrated with both coherent and incoherent light.Our design is well suited for integrated and high-speed optical information analysis and can significantly reduce the size and weight of conventional devices while simplifying the process of collecting optical information,thereby promising for various applications,including machine vision,minimized spectrometers,material characterization,remote sensing,and other areas which require comprehensive optical analysis.

Ultraviolet metalens and metalens array of focused vortex beams

The solar-blind ultraviolet(UV)wavelength is particularly interesting within the range of 200 nm–300 nm.Here,we propose a focusing metalens,focusing vortex beam(VB)metalens and metalens array that specifically work in the UV band to focus a beam or VB.Firstly,a high numerical aperture(NA)focusing metalens working at a wavelength of 214.2 nm was designed,and the NA reached 0.83.The corresponding conversion efficiency of the unit structure reached as high as 94%,and the full width at half maximum was only 117.2 nm.Metalenses with large NA can act as optical tweezers and can be applied to trap ultracold atoms and molecules.Secondly,a focused VB metalens in the wavelength range of200 nm–300 nm was also designed,which can convert polarized light into a VB and focus the VB simultaneously.Finally,a metalens array was developed to focus VBs with different topological charges on the same focal plane.This series of UV metalenses could be widely used in UV microscopy,photolithography,photonics communication,etc.

Dynamic phase assembled terahertz metalens for reversible conversion between linear polarization and arbitrary circular polarization

If a metalens integrates the circular polarization(CP)conversion function,the focusing lens together with circular-polariz-ing lens(CPL)in traditional cameras may be replaced by a metalens.However,in terahertz(THz)band,the reported metalenses still do not obtain the perfect and strict single-handed CP,because they were constructed via Pancharatnam-Berry phase so that CP conversion contained both left-handed CP(LCP)and right-handed CP(RCP)components.In this paper,a silicon based THz metalens is constructed using dynamic phase to obtain single-handed CP conversion.Also,we can rotate the whole metalens at a certain angle to control the conversion of multi-polarization states,which can simply manipulate the focusing for incident linear polarization(LP)THz wave in three polarization conversion states,in-cluding LP without conversion,LCP and RCP.Moreover,the polarization conversion behavior is reversible,that is,the THz metalens can convert not only the LP into arbitrary single-handed CP,but also the LCP and RCP into two perpen-dicular LP,respectively.The metalens is expected to be used in advanced THz camera,as a great candidate for tradi-tional CPL and focusing lens group,and also shows potential application in polarization imaging with discriminating LCP and RCP.

Design of high efficiency achromatic metalens with large operation bandwidth using bilayer architecture

Achromatic metalens composed of arrays of subwavelength nanostructures with spatially varying geometries is attractivefor a number of optical applications. However, the limited degree of freedom in the single layer achromatic metasurfacedesign makes it difficult to simultaneously guarantee the sufficient phase dispersion and high diffraction efficiency,which restricts the achromatic bandwidth and efficiency of metalens. Here we propose and demonstrate a high efficiencyachromatic metalens with diffraction-limited focusing capability at the wavelength ranging from 1000 nm to 1700 nm. Themetalens comprises two stacked nanopillar metasurfaces, by which the required focusing phase and dispersion compensationcan be controlled independently. As a result, in addition to the large achromatic bandwidth, the averaged focusingefficiency of the bilayer metalens is higher than 64% at the near-infrared region. Our design opens up the possibilityto obtain the required phase dispersion and efficiency simultaneously, which is of great significance to design broadbandmetasurface-based optical devices.

Generation of super-resolved optical needle and multifocal array using graphene oxide metalenses

Ultrathin flat metalenses have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional diffractive lenses,offering new possibilities for myriads of miniaturization and interfacial applications.Graphene-based materials can achieve both phase and amplitude modulations simultaneously at a single position due to the modification of the complex refractive index and thickness by laser conversion from graphene oxide into graphene like materials.In this work,we develop graphene oxide metalenses to precisely control phase and amplitude modulations and to achieve a holistic and systematic lens design based on a graphene-based material system.We experimentally validate our strategies via demonstrations of two graphene oxide metalenses:one with an ultra-long(~16λ)optical needle,and the other with axial multifocal spots,at the wavelength of 632.8 nm with a 200 nm thin film.Our proposed graphene oxide metalenses unfold unprecedented opportunities for accurately designing graphene-based ultrathin integratable devices for broad applications.

Off-axis multi-wavelength dispersion controllingmetalens for multi-color imaging

Dispersion control is crucial in optical systems,and chromatic aberration is an important factor affecting imaging quality in imaging systems.Due to the inherent property of materials,dispersion engineering is complex and needs to trade off other aberration in traditional ways.Although metasurface offers an effective method to overcome these limits and results in well-engineered dispersion,off-axis dispersion control is still a challenging topic.In this paper,we design a single-layer metalens which is capable of focusing at three wavelengths(473 nm,532 nm,and 632 nm)with different incident angles(0°,-17°and 17°)into the same point.We also demonstrate that this metalens can provide an alternative for the bulky color synthetic prism in a 3-chips digital micromirror device(DMD)laser projection system.Through this approach,various off-axis dispersion controlling optical devices could be realized.

Design of an all-dielectric long-wave infrared wide-angle metalens

Optical metasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of nano-scatterers that modify optical wavefronts at subwavelength spatial resolution.They achieve the effect of focusing through phase control under a subwavelength scale,and are called metalenses.They are poised to revolutionize optics by enabling complex low-cost systems.However,there are severe monochromatic aberrations in the metasurfaces.In this paper,the coma of the long-wave infrared optical system is eliminated through a single-layer metasurface.By changing the phase function,this metalens has a numerical aperture of 0.89,a focal length of 150μm and a field of view of 120°(0.4@60 line pairs/mm)that enables diffraction-limited monochromatic imaging along the focal plane at a wavelength of 10.6μm.The designed metasurface maintains a favorable value of the modulation transfer function at different angles.This equipment can be widely used in imaging and industrial processing.

High efficient Al: ZnO based bifocus metalens in visible spectrum

The optical components of the visible light band are widely used in daily life and industrial development. However due to the serious loss of light and the high cost, the application is limited. The broadband gap metasurface will change this situation due to its low absorption and high efficiency. Herein, we simulate a size-adjustable metasurface of the Al doped ZnO (AZO) nanorod arrays based on finite difference time domain method (FDTD) which can realize the conversion of amplitude polarization and phase in the full visible band. The corresponding theoretical polarization conversion efficiency can reach as high as 91.48% (450 nm), 95.27% (530 nm), and 91.01% (65 nm). The modulation of focusing wavelength can be realized by directly adjusting the height of the AZO nanorod. The designed half-wave plate and metalens can be applied in the imaging power modulation halfwave conversion and enriching the spectroscopy.

Temperature-responded tunable metalenses based on phase transition materials

Once the metalenses are fabricated,the functions of most metalenses are invariable.The tunability and reconfigurability are useful and cost-saving for metalenses in realistic applications.We demonstrate this tunability here via a novel hybrid metalens with the strategic placement of an ultra-thin VO;layer.The hybrid metalens is capable of dynamically modulating the focusing intensity of transmitted light at a wavelength of 1550 nm,and demonstrate a 42.28%focusing efficiency of the incident light and 70.01%modulation efficiency.The hybrid metalens’optothermal simulations show an optothermal conversion process of dynamic focusing,and a maximum laser density of 1.76×10^(3)W/cm^(2) can be handled at an ambient temperature lower than 330 K.The hybrid metalens proposed in this work,a light-dose sensitive tunable smart metalens that can protect other instruments/systems or materials from being damaged,has its specific applications such as in anti-satellite blinding,bio-imaging,etc.

Near-Field Focusing With Subwavelength Thickness Metalenses via Electromagnetic Susceptibility Models

The design mentality of an optimal metalens model, based on the electromagnetic susceptibility, a synthesis of subwavelength-thick metasurfaces (MSs) is presented in this paper. First, based on the finite difference method of generalized sheet transition conditions, the surface susceptibility function of the MS with spatial discontinuities can be determined. Then, the paper analyzed the remaining corresponding physical field conditions for the scale of metalens. In order to adapt to the physical limitations encountered in the near-field focusing of the metalens, a standard parabolic phase design is proposed in this paper, and its upsides and downsides of the two-phase processing in different aspects are compared. Using COMSOL software with numerical simulation, it can be seen that the standard design can easily obtain high resolution in the near field, while the focusing effect is more stable when the focal length is small by the parabolic phase design.

Terahertz wide-angle metalens with nearly ideal object-image relation

Metalenses are essential components in terahertz imaging systems.However,without careful design,they show limited field of view and their practical applications are hindered.Here,a wide-angle metalens is proposed whose structure is optimized for focusing within the incident angles of±25°.Simulation and experiment results show that the focusing efficiency,spot size,and modulation transfer function of this lens are not sensitive to the incident angle.More importantly,this wide-angle metalens follows the ideal Gaussian formula for the object-image relation,which ensures a wider field of view and better contrast in the imaging experiment.

Dynamic tunable LWIR achromatic metalens comprising all-As_(2)Se_(3) microstructures

In the field of long-wave infrared(LWIR) thermal imaging, vital for applications such as military surveillance and medical diagnostics, metalenses show immense potential for compact, lightweight, and low-power optical systems. However, to date, the development of LWIR broadband achromatic metalenses with dynamic tunable focus, which are suitable for both coaxial and off-axis applications, remains a large unexplored area. Herein, we have developed an extensive database of broadband achromatic all-As2Se3microstructure units for the LWIR range. Utilizing this database with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, we have designed and demonstrated LWIR broadband achromatic metalenses capable of coaxial and off-axis focusing with three dynamic tunable states. This research may have potential applications for the design of compact, high-performance optical devices, including those with extreme depth-of-field and wide-angle imaging capabilities.

Metalens with tilted structures for high-efficiency focusing at large-angle incidences

The metalens has attracted remarkable attention due to its ultra-thin and ultra-light characteristics,which indicate great potential for compact imaging.However,the limited efficiency at a large angle incidence severely hinders the application of wide-angle focusing and imaging,which is pursued in the fast-developing imaging systems.Therefore,new strategies to improve the lens performance at large incident angles are in demand.In this work,we propose tilted structures for largeangle focusing with improved efficiency.Metalenses based on dynamic phase and geometric phase are designed and systematically characterized by numerical simulations.We show that tilted structures of unit cells significantly improve the lens performance at oblique incidences.In detail,the focusing efficiency of the metalens with tilted structures is increased over 25%at 30°incidence,as well as the modulation transfer function.In addition,we develop a hybrid metalens array achieving highly efficient wide-angle imaging up to 120°.We believe this design provides a feasible route toward wide-field and high-performance imaging applications.

Revolutionary meta-imaging:from superlens to metalens

The refractive-lens technique has been well developed over a long period of evolution,offering powerful imaging functionalities,such as microscopes,telescopes,and spectroscopes.Nevertheless,the ever-growing requirements continue to urge further enhanced imaging capabilities and upgraded devices that are more compact for convenience.Metamaterial as a fascinating concept has inspired unprecedented new explorations in physics,material science,and optics,not only in fundamental researches but also novel applications.Along with the imaging topic,this paper reviews the progress of the flat lens as an important branch of metamaterials,covering the early superlens with super-diffraction capability and current hot topics of metalenses including a paralleled strategy of multilevel diffractive lenses.Numerous efforts and approaches have been dedicated to areas ranging from the new fascinating physics to feasible applications.This review provides a clear picture of the flat-lens evolution from the perspective of metamaterial design,elucidating the relation and comparison between a superlens and metalens,and addressing derivative designs.Finally,application scenarios that favor the ultrathin lens technique are emphasized with respect to possible revolutionary imaging devices,followed by conclusive remarks and prospects.

High-fidelity mode scaling via topologicaloptimized on-chip metalens for compact photonic interconnection

Photonic integrated circuits(PICs)have attracted significant interest in communication,computation,and biomedical applications.However,most rely on highly integrated PICs devices,which require a low-loss and high-integration guided wave path.Owing to the various dimensions of different integrated photonic devices,their interconnections typically require waveguide tapers.Although a waveguide taper can overcome the width mismatch of different devices,its inherent tapering width typically results in a long length,which fundamentally limits the efficient interconnection between devices with a high scaling ratio over a short distance.Herein,we proposed a highly integrated on-chip metalens that enables optical interconnections between devices with high width-scaling ratios by embedding a free-form metasurface in a silicon-on-insulator film.The special geometric features endow the designed metalens with high coupling efficiency and high integration.The device has a footprint of only 2.35μm in the longitudinal direction and numerical aperture of 2.03,enabling beam focusing and collimation of less than 10μm between devices with width-scaling ratio of 11.For the fundamental transverse electric field(TE0)mode,the relative transmittance is as high as 96%for forward incidence(from wide to narrow waveguides),whereas the metalens can realize wavefront shaping for backward incidence,which can be used in optical phase arrays.This study provides new ideas for optical interconnect design and wavefront shaping in high-integration PICs.Our design approach has potential applications in directional radiators,LiDAR,on-chip optical information processing,analogue computing,and imaging.

A Broadband Achromatic Dielectric Planar Metalens in Mid-IR Range

Metalens are planar lenses composed of the subwavelengthh arrays,which have unconventional and versatile functionalities to manipulate the light fields compared with the traditional lens.It is noted that the most metalens are designed in a monochromatic mode in the visible or mid-infrared range(mid-IR),however,the broadband range is needed in many practical applications,such as spectroscopy,sensing,and imaging.Here,we design and demonstrate a broadband achromatic dielectric metalens in the mid-IR range of 4μm-5μm for near diffraction-limited(1.0a)focusing.The broadband achromatic propagation and focusing of the metalens are designed and simulated by constructing and optimizing the phase profile.The Pancharatnam-Berry(P-B)phases of all the elements contribute to the main phase increment of the whole phase profile of the metalens.The additional phase is constructed and optimized by using the random search algorithm to obtain the optimized size of all the elements.The focusing efficiency of the achromatic metalens is also optimized and averaged as the result of phase optimization within a wide band for the building elements,while it is lowered comparing with the regular metalens without broadband achromatic designing.Using this combined designing approach,various flat achromatic devices with the broadband metalens can find a new way for full-color detection and imaging.

Genetic algorithm assisted meta-atom design for high-performance metasurface optics

Metasurfaces,composed of planar arrays of intricately designed meta-atom structures,possess remarkable capabilities in controlling electromagnetic waves in various ways.A critical aspect of metasurface design involves selecting suitable meta-atoms to achieve target functionalities such as phase retardation,amplitude modulation,and polarization conversion.Conventional design processes often involve extensive parameter sweeping,a laborious and computationally intensive task heavily reliant on designer expertise and judgement.Here,we present an efficient genetic algorithm assisted meta-atom optimization method for high-performance metasurface optics,which is compatible to both single-and multiobjective device design tasks.We first employ the method for a single-objective design task and implement a high-efficiency Pancharatnam-Berry phase based metalens with an average focusing efficiency exceeding 80%in the visible spectrum.We then employ the method for a dual-objective metasurface design task and construct an efficient spin-multiplexed structural beam generator.The device is capable of generating zeroth-order and first-order Bessel beams respectively under right-handed and left-handed circular polarized illumination,with associated generation efficiencies surpassing 88%.Finally,we implement a wavelength and spin co-multiplexed four-channel metahologram capable of projecting two spin-multiplexed holographic images under each operational wavelength,with efficiencies over 50%.Our work offers a streamlined and easy-to-implement approach to meta-atom design and optimization,empowering designers to create diverse high-performance and multifunctional metasurface optics.