18263268. METASURFACE, METALENS, AND METALENS ARRAY WITH CONTROLLABLE ANGULAR FIELD-OF-VIEW simplified abstract (The Regents of the University of California)
Contents
- 1 METASURFACE, METALENS, AND METALENS ARRAY WITH CONTROLLABLE ANGULAR FIELD-OF-VIEW
- 1.1 Organization Name
- 1.2 Inventor(s)
- 1.3 METASURFACE, METALENS, AND METALENS ARRAY WITH CONTROLLABLE ANGULAR FIELD-OF-VIEW - A simplified explanation of the abstract
- 1.4 Simplified Explanation
- 1.5 Potential Applications
- 1.6 Problems Solved
- 1.7 Benefits
- 1.8 Potential Commercial Applications
- 1.9 Possible Prior Art
- 1.10 Unanswered Questions
- 1.11 Original Abstract Submitted
METASURFACE, METALENS, AND METALENS ARRAY WITH CONTROLLABLE ANGULAR FIELD-OF-VIEW
Organization Name
The Regents of the University of California
Inventor(s)
Weijian Yang of Redwood City CA (US)
METASURFACE, METALENS, AND METALENS ARRAY WITH CONTROLLABLE ANGULAR FIELD-OF-VIEW - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18263268 titled 'METASURFACE, METALENS, AND METALENS ARRAY WITH CONTROLLABLE ANGULAR FIELD-OF-VIEW
Simplified Explanation
The abstract describes a metalens and a metalens array with a bounded angular field of view. The metalens is made up of a substrate and a 2D grid that divides the substrate into a 2D array of meta-units. Each meta-unit includes a nanostructure and a portion of the substrate that supports the nanostructure. The metalens has an angular-dependent transmission or reflection coefficient that decreases with increasing incident angle of illumination. It allows light with incident angles less than a cutoff angle to pass through and rejects light with incident angles greater than the cutoff angle. The metalens can be tiled into a 2D array to create a metalens array with a larger field of view.
- Metalens with bounded angular field of view
- 2D grid divides substrate into meta-units
- Angular-dependent transmission or reflection coefficient
- Passes light with incident angles less than cutoff angle
- Rejects light with incident angles greater than cutoff angle
Potential Applications
The technology can be used in:
- Imaging systems
- Virtual reality and augmented reality devices
- Optical communication systems
Problems Solved
The metalens and metalens array address the following issues:
- Limited field of view in traditional lenses
- Reflection and refraction losses at high incident angles
Benefits
The technology offers the following benefits:
- Increased field of view
- Improved light transmission efficiency
- Compact and lightweight design
Potential Commercial Applications
The metalens and metalens array technology can be applied in various commercial sectors, including:
- Consumer electronics
- Aerospace and defense
- Medical imaging
Possible Prior Art
One possible prior art is the use of diffractive optical elements to manipulate light at different incident angles. Another prior art could be the use of micro-optical components in lens design.
Unanswered Questions
How does the metalens array compare to traditional lens arrays in terms of performance and cost?
The article does not provide a direct comparison between metalens arrays and traditional lens arrays in terms of performance metrics such as resolution, aberrations, and cost.
What are the limitations of the metalens technology in terms of scalability and manufacturability?
The article does not discuss the scalability of metalens technology for mass production or potential challenges in manufacturing these complex optical components.
Original Abstract Submitted
A metalens and a metalens array having a bounded angular field of view are disclosed. The metalens includes a substrate and a two-dimensional (2D) grid over the substrate to divide the substrate into a 2D array of meta-units. Each meta-unit in the 2D array includes a nanostructure and a portion of the substrate that supports the nanostructure. Moreover, each meta-unit is configured with an angular-dependent transmission or reflection coefficient that decreases with an increasing incident angle of an illumination. Moreover, 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 a base unit for constructing a metalens array by tiling copies of the metalens into a 2D array of the metalens to achieve a significantly larger field-of-view.
