Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Optical systems with wide field-of-view (FOV) imaging capabilities are crucial for applications ranging from biomedical diagnostics to remote sensing, yet conventional wide-angle optics face integration challenges in compact platforms. Here, we present the design and experimental demonstration of a single-layer silicon carbide (SiC) metalens achieving a 90° total FOV, whose planar structure and small footprint address the challenges. This design is driven by a gradient-based numerical optimization strategy, Gradient-Optimized Phase Profile Shaping (GOPP), which optimizes the phase profile to accommodate the angle-dependent requirements. Combined with a front aperture, the GOPP-generated phase profile enables off-axis aberration control within a planar structure. Operating at 803 nm with a focal length of 1 mm (NA = 0.25), the fabricated metalens demonstrated focusing capabilities across the wide FOV, enabling effective wide-angle imaging. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using numerical optimization to realize single-layer metalens with challenging wide FOV capabilities, offering a promising route towards highly compact imagers for applications such as endoscopy and dermoscopy.
Source: Nanomaterials
DOI: 10.3390/nano15131046
Authors: Yiyang Liu, Qiangbo Zhang, Changwei Zhang, Mengguang Wang, Zhenrong Zheng
Institution: Zhejiang University
Language: English
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
Award: G274416587
OpenAlex ID: W4412093600