Metasurface, Metalens, and Metalens Array with Controllable Angular Field-of-View

Abstract

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed an optical lens module that uses a metalens or a metalens array having a controllable angular field-of-view.

Full Description

The technology uses a metalens or a metalens array to achieve high quality large field-of-view imaging with a compact device. Each metalens or metalens array uses a 2D array of meta-units where each meta-unit includes a nanostructure and a portion of a substrate that supports the nanostructure. Each meta-unit is configured with an angular-dependent transmission or reflection intensity that decreases with an increasing incident angle of an illumination. The metalens passes an incident light having an incident angle less than a cutoff angle and rejects an incident light having an incident angle greater than the cutoff angle. The metalens can be used as a base unit for constructing many different metasurfaces designed to achieve various 2D or 3D imaging goals.

Applications

• Miniaturized imaging devices 
• Light-field cameras 
• Compact cameras 
• Endoscopy 
• Biomedical imaging 
• Consumer electronics 
• Surveillance

Features/Benefits

• Design flexibility 
• Angle-dependent transmission or reflection intensity 
• Extended depth of view for light field imaging 
• Solves the trade-off between in-focus imaging resolution and the depth of view 
• Addresses signal ambiguities in single lens design

Patent Status

Patent Pending