Large Low-mass Achromatic Metalenses for Visible Imaging

Nanohmics, teaming with CUNY, proposes to develop high-performance, metamaterial-based lenses that can be scaled up to tens of centimeters of clear aperture for ISR and other imaging applications. These high-throughput achromatic metalenses will operate across all visible wavelengths, 400-700 nm, demonstrating polarization-independent, low-aberration f/2 imaging comparable to much bulkier conventional optics. The proposed novel folded metagrating geometry creates the analogue of an achromat lens; optical path length is fixed across the input aperture. This design addresses the major disadvantage of other diffractive or metasurface lenses, and, therefore, requires no dispersion engineering. In Phase I, the team will demonstrate the feasibility of large achromatic metalenses by designing, fabricating, and testing a small proof-of-principle folded-metagrating metalens, achieving TRL 3. Laboratory testing will demonstrate many of the performance metrics that will drive the design of the Phase II prototypes. The Phase I feasibility study will include analysis, modeling, and simulation of the performance of metalenses based on the same design and fabrication techniques but scaled up to tens of centimeters. Standard microfabrication methods will reduce costs and provide a rapid route to commercialization. These ultra-light-weight metalenses will dramatically reduce SWaP requirements of optical imaging systems, such as for ISR in aircraft and satellites.