Highly Efficient Broadband Achromatic Microlens Design Based on Low-Dispersion Materials

Metalenses with achromatic performance offer a new opportunity for high-quality imaging with an ultracompact configuration;however,they suffer from complex fabrication processes and low focusing efficiency.In this study,we propose an efficient design method for achromatic microlenses on a wavelength scale using materials with low dispersion,an adequately designed convex surface,and a thickness profile distribution.By taking into account the absolute chromatic aberration,relative focal length shift(FLS),and numerical aperture(NA),microlens with a certain focal length can be realized through our realized map of geometric features.Accordingly,the designed achromatic microlenses with low-dispersion fused silica were fabricated using a focused ion beam,and precise surface profiles were obtained.The fabricated microlenses exhibited a high average focusing efficiency of 65%at visible wavelengths of 410-680 nm and excellent achromatic capability via white light imaging.Moreover,the design exhibited the advantages of being polarization-insensitive and near-diffraction-limited.These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed achromatic microlens design approach,which expands the prospects of miniaturized optics such as virtual and augmented reality,ultracompact microscopes,and biological endoscopy.

Chromatic and achromatic differences of melanin-and carotenoid-based plumage coloration in five minivet species(Pericrocotus spp.)under conspecific and predator visual systems

Adaptive mate choice has been accepted as the leading theory to explain the colorful plumage of birds.This theory hypothesizes that conspicuous colors act as signals to advertise the qualities of the owners.However,a dilemma arises in that conspicuous colors may not only attract mates,but also alert predators.The"private channels of communication"hypothesis proposes that some intraspecific signals may not be visible to heterospecific animals because of different visual systems.To better understand the evolution of plumage colors and sexual selection in birds,here we studied the chromatic difference and achromatic differences of melanin-and carotenoid-based plumage coloration in five minivet species(Pericrocotus spp.)under conspecific and predator visual systems.We found that either the chromatic or achromatic difference among male or female minivets’plumage was consistently higher under conspecific vision than under predator vision for all five studied species of minivets.This result indicated that individual differences in plumage colors of minivets were visible to the conspecific receivers and hidden from potential predators as a result of evolution under predation risk and conspecific communication.However,males were under a higher risk of predation because they were more conspicuous than females to the vision of a nocturnal predator.

Crosstalk-free achromatic full Stokes imaging polarimetry metasurface enabled by polarization-dependent phase optimization

Imaging polarimetry is one of the most widely used analytical technologies for object detection and analysis.To date,most metasurface-based polarimetry techniques are severely limited by narrow operating bandwidths and inevitable crosstalk,leading to detrimental effects on imaging quality and measurement accuracy.Here,we propose a crosstalkfree broadband achromatic full Stokes imaging polarimeter consisting of polarization-sensitive dielectric metalenses,implemented by the principle of polarization-dependent phase optimization.Compared with the single-polarization optimization method,the average crosstalk has been reduced over three times under incident light with arbitrary polarization ranging from 9μm to 12μm,which guarantees the measurement of the polarization state more precisely.The experimental results indicate that the designed polarization-sensitive metalenses can effectively eliminate the chromatic aberration with polarization selectivity and negligible crosstalk.The measured average relative errors are 7.08%,8.62%,7.15%,and 7.59%at 9.3,9.6,10.3,and 10.6μm,respectively.Simultaneously,the broadband full polarization imaging capability of the device is also verified.This work is expected to have potential applications in wavefront detection,remote sensing,light-field imaging,and so forth.

Predator perception of detritus and eggsac decorations spun by orb-web spiders Cyclosa octotuberculata:Do they function to camouflage the spiders?

Camouflage is one of the most widespread and powerful strategies that animals use to make detection/recognition more difficult. Many orb-web spiders of the genus Cyclosa add prey remains, plant debris, moults, and/or eggsacs to their webs called web decorations. Web decorations resembling spider body colour pattern have been considered to camouflage the spider from predators. While this camouflage is obvious from a human＇s perspective, it has rarely been investigated from a predator＇s perspective. In this study, we tested the visibility of web decorations by calculating chromatic and achromatic contrasts of detritus and eggsae decorations built by Cyclosa octotubereulata, against four different backgrounds viewed by both bird （e.g., blue tits） and hymenopteran （e.g. wasps） predators. We showed that both juvenile and adult spiders on webs with detritus or egg-sac deco- rations were undetectable by both hymenopteran and bird predators over short and long distances. Our results thus suggest that decorating webs with detritus or eggsacs by C octotuberculata may camouflage the spiders from both hymenopteran and bird predators in their common habitats [Current Zoology 56 （3）： 379-387, 2010].

Review:Chromatic Dispersion Manipulation Based on Optical Metasurfaces

Metasurfaces are densely arrayed two⁃dimensional(2D)artificial planar metamaterials,which can manipulate the polarization,distribution,and amplitude of light by accurately controlling the phase of the scattering light.The flat metasurface has the potential to substantially reduce the thickness and complexity of the structures and allows ease of fabrication and integration into devices.However,the inherent chromatic aberration of the metasurface originating from the resonant dispersion of the antennas and the intrinsic chromatic dispersion limit their quality.How to effectively suppress or manipulate the chromatic aberration of metalenses has attracted worldwide attention in the last few years,leading to a variety of excellent achievements.Furthermore,utilizing the chromatic dispersion of metasurface to realize special functionalities is also of significant importance.In this review,the most promising recent examples of chromatic dispersion manipulation based on optical metasurface materials are highlighted and put into perspective.

Design study of APS-U-type hybrid-MBA lattice for mid-energy DLSR

In recent years,a new generation of storage ring-based light sources,known as diffraction-limited storage rings(DLSRs),whose emittance approaches the diffraction limit for the range of X-ray wavelengths of interest to the scientific community,has garnered significant attention worldwide.Researchers have begun to design and build DLSRs.Among various DLSR proposals,the hybrid multibend achromat(H-MBA)lattice enables sextupole strengths to be maintained at a reasonable level when minimizing the emittance;hence,it has been adopted in many DLSR designs.Based on the H-7BA lattice,the design of the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade Project(APS-U)can effectively reduce emittance by replacing six quadrupoles with anti-bends.Herein,we discuss the feasibility of designing an APS-U-type H-MBA lattice for the Southern Advanced Photon Source,a mid-energy DLSR light source with ultralow emittance that has been proposed to be built adjacent to the China Spallation Neutron Source.Both linear and nonlinear dynamics are optimized to obtain a detailed design of this type of lattice.The emittance is minimized,while a sufficiently large dynamic aperture(DA)and momentum acceptance(MA)are maintained.A design comprising 36 APS-U type H-7BAs,with an energy of 3 GeV and a circumference of 972 m,is achieved.The horizontal natural emittance is 20 pm·rad,with a horizontal DA of 5.8 mm,a vertical DA of 4.5 mm,and an MA of 4%,as well as a long longitudinal damping time of 120 ms.Subsequently,a few modifications are performed based on the APS-U-type lattice to reduce the maximum value of damping time from 120 to 44 ms while maintaining other performance parameters at the same level.

Design of broadband achromatic metasurface device based on phase-change material Ge_(2)Sb_(2)Te_(5)

Based on the phase-change material Ge_(2)Sb_(2)Te_(5)(GST),achromatic metasurface optical device in the longer-infrared wavelength is designed.With the combination of the linear phase gradient GST nanopillar and the adjustment of the crystalline fraction m value of GST,the polarization insensitive achromic metalenses and beam deflector metasurface within the longer-infrared wavelength 9.5μm to 13μm are realized.The design results show that the achromatic metalenses can be focused on the same focal plane within the working waveband.The simulation calculation results show that the fullwidth at half-maximum(FWHM)of the focusing spot reaches the diffraction limit at each wavelength.In addition,the same method is also used to design a broadband achromatic beam deflector metasurface with the same deflection angle of 19°.The method proposed in this article not only provides new ideas for the design of achromatic metasurfaces,but also provides new possibilities for the integration of optical imaging,optical coding and other related optical systems.

Large aperture phase-coded diffractive lens for achromatic and 16°field-of-view imaging with high efficiency

Diffractive lenses(DLs)can realize high-resolution imaging with light weight and compact size.Conventional DLs suffer large chromatic and off-axis aberrations,which significantly limits their practical applications.Although many achromatic methods have been proposed,most of them are used for designing small aperture DLs,which have low diffraction efficiencies.In the designing of diffractive achromatic lenses,increasing the aperture and improving the diffraction efficiency have become two of the most important design issues.Here,a novel phase-coded diffractive lens(PCDL)for achromatic imaging with a large aperture and high efficiency is proposed and demonstrated experimentally,and it also possesses wide field-of-view(FOV)imaging at the same time.The phase distribution of the conventional phase-type diffractive lens(DL)is coded with a cubic function to expand both the working bandwidth and the FOV of conventional DL.The proposed phase-type DL is fabricated by using the laser direct writing of grey-scale patterns for a PCDL of a diameter of 10 mm,a focal length of 100 mm,and a cubic phase coding parameter of 30π.Experimental results show that the working bandwidth and the FOV of the PCDL respectively reach 50 nm and 16°with over 8%focusing efficiency,which are in significant contrast to the counterparts of conventional DL and in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.This work provides a novel way for implementing the achromatic,wide FOV,and high-efficiency imaging with large aperture DL.

Broadband achromatic phase retarder based on metal-multilayer dielectric grating

A new achromatic phase retarder based on a metal-multilayer dielectric grating structure is designed using the rigorous coupled wave analysis method and the genetic algorithm.The optimized phase retarder can maintain phase retardation around 90°from 900 nm to 1200 nm,and the maximum deviation is less than 4.5%while the diffraction efficiencies of TE and TM waves are both higher than 95%.Numerical analysis shows the designed phase retarder has a high fabrication tolerance of groove depth,duty cycle and incident angle.This achromatic phase retarder is simple in design and stable in performance,and can be widely used in optical systems.

A Doubly Achromatic Two-magnet Nonuniform Field Bending System of 270° in Deflection

A new doubly achromatic two-magnet beam bending system is described.Itconsists of two nonuniform dipoles separated by a small drift space.Some doublyachromatic relations are derived.The system showed excellent achromatic and focusingproperties and good quality of electron beam with small diameter.Very small diver-gence and axial symmetry were produced at the output of the system.The system isspecially suitable for low energy electron linac beam with large energy spread.

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.

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.

Inverse design on terahertz multilevel diffractive lens based on 3D printing[Invited]

Terahertz(THz)lenses have numerous applications in imaging and communication systems.Currently,the common THz lenses are still based on the traditional design of a circular convex lens.In this work,we present a method for the design of a 3D-printed multilevel THz lens,taking advantage of the benefits offered by 3D printing technology,including compact size,lightweight construction,and cost-effectiveness.The approach utilizes an inverse design methodology,employing optimization methods to promise accurate performance.To reduce simulation time,we employ the finite-difference time-domain method in cylindrical coordinates for near-field computation and couple it with the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction theory to address far-field calculations.This technology holds great potential for various applications in the field of THz imaging,sensing,and communications,offering a novel approach to the design and development of functional devices operating in the THz frequency range.

Research on the design of metalens with achromatic and amplitude modulation

Metalenses are two-dimensional planar metamaterial lenses, which have the advantages of high efficiency and easy integration. However, most metalenses cannot modulate the light intensity, which limits their applications. To deal with it, taking advantage of flexible regulation of the beam amplitude and phase by the metalens, the geometric phase method is selected to design the dual-function metalens. It can effectively eliminate chromatic aberration in a visible light band from 535 nm to 600 nm and achieve amplitude modulation. After transmitting the metalens, the amplitudes of the beam respectively turn into 0.2 and 0.9. In this way, the amount of transmission of metalens in the preset band can be quantitatively controlled. According to the distribution characteristics of light diffraction intensity, the metalens designed can play a dual modulation role of achromatism and interference double-beam equilibrium in the paper, to meet the needs of miniaturization and integration of the optical system. The achromatic and amplitude-modulated metalens will have great application potential in optical holographic imaging and super-resolution focusing.

Broadband achromatic metalens in terahertz regime

Achromatic focusing is essential for broadband operation, which has recently been realised from visible to infrared wavelengths using a metasurface. Similarly, multi-terahertz functional devices can be encoded in a desired metasurface phase profile. However, metalenses suffer from larger chromatic aberrations because of the intrinsic dispersion of each unit element. Here, we propose an achromatic metalens with C-shaped unit elements working from 0.3 to 0.8 THz with a bandwidth of approximately 91% over the centre frequency. The designed metalens possesses a high working efficiency of more than 68% at the peak and a relatively high numerical aperture of 0.385. We further demonstrate the robustness of our Cshaped metalens, considering lateral shape deformations and deviations in the etching depth. Our metalens design opens an avenue for future applications of terahertz meta-devices in spectroscopy, time-offlight tomography and hyperspectral imaging systems.

Achromatic super-oscillatory lenses with subwavelength focusing

Lenses are crucial to light-enabled technologies.Conventional lenses have been perfected to achieve near-diffraction-limited resolution and minimal chromatic aberrations.However,such lenses are bulky and cannot focus light into a hotspot smaller than a half-wavelength of light.Pupil filters,initially suggested by Toraldo di Francia,can overcome the resolution constraints of conventional lenses but are not intrinsically chromatically corrected.Here we report single-element planar lenses that not only deliver sub-wavelength focusing,thus beating the diffraction limit of conventional refractive lenses,but also focus light of different colors into the same hotspot.Using the principle of super-oscillations,we designed and fabricated a range of binary dielectric and metallic lenses for visible and infrared parts of the spectrum that are manufactured on silicon wafers,silica substrates and optical fiber tips.Such low-cost,compact lenses could be useful in mobile devices,data storage,surveillance,robotics,space applications,imaging,manufacturing with light and spatially resolved nonlinear microscopies.

Chromatic dispersion manipulation based on metasurface devices in the mid-infrared region

The chromatic aberration of metasurfaces limits their application. How to cancel or utilize the large chromatic dispersion of metasurfaces becomes an important issue. Here, we design Si-based metasurfaces to realize flexible chromatic dispersion manipulation in mid-infrared region. We demonstrate the broadband achromatic metalens and achromatic gradient metasurface to cancel the chromatic aberration over a continuous bandwidth(8–12 μm). In contrast, the metalens and gradient metasurface with enhanced chromatic dispersion have also been realized, where the focal length and deflection angle with different wavelengths vary more significantly than the conventional devices designed with geometric phase. These demonstrations indicate promising potential applications.

Broadband achromatic polarization insensitive metalens over 950 nm bandwidth in the visible and near-infrared

Metalenses are expected to play an increasingly important role in miniaturized and integrated optical imaging components/systems.However,devising broadband achromatic metalenses with high focusing efficiencies is still quite challenging.In this work,we proposed an aperture-shared partition phase cooperative manipulation approach for designing a highefficiency broadband achromatic metalens composed of two concentric sub-metalenses.As a proof-of-concept,an achromatic polarization-independent metalens is successfully designed for the visible and near-infrared range from450 nm to 1400 nm with the focusing efficiency over 70% for the wavelength range of 600 nm to 1400 nm.The approach reported here provides a possibility for designing a high-performance metalens,which has great potential applications in integrated optics.

Nonuniform self-imaging of achromatic Talbot lithography

Achromatic Talbot lithography(ATL)with high resolution has been demonstrated to be an excellent technique for large area periodic nano-fabrication.In this work,the uniformity of pattern distribution in ATL was studied in detail.Two ATL transmission masks with^50%duty cycle in a square lattice were illuminated by a spatial coherent broadband extreme ultraviolet beam with a relative bandwidth of 2.38%.Nonuniform dot size distribution was observed by experiments and finite-difference time-domain simulations.The sum of the two kinds of diffraction patterns,with different lattice directions(45°rotated)and different intensity distributions,results in the final nonuniform pattern distribution.

Metalenses: from design principles to functional applications

Lens is a basic optical element that is widely used in daily life,such as in cameras,glasses,and microscopes.Conventional lenses are designed based on the classical refractive optics,which results in inevitable imaging aberrations,such as chromatic aberration,spherical aberration and coma.To solve these problems,conventional imaging systems impose multiple curved lenses with different thicknesses and materials to eliminate these aberrations.As a unique photonic technology,metasurfaces can accurately manipulate the wavefront of light to produce fascinating and peculiar optical phenomena,which has stimulated researchers9 extensive interests in the field of planar optics.Starting from the introduction of phase modulation methods,this review summarizes the design principles and characteristics of metalenses.Although the imaging quality of existing metalenses is not necessarily better than that of conventional lenses,the multi-dimensional and multi-degree-of-freedom control of metasurfaces provides metalenses with novel functions that are extremely challenging or impossible to achieve with conventional lenses.