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US 12,061,347 B2Granted
Metasurfaces for full-color imaging
AssigneeUniversity of Washington
InventorsShane Colburn, Alan Zhan, Arka Majumdar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Metasurfaces and systems including metasurfaces for imaging and methods of imaging are described. Such metasurfaces may be formed on a substrate from a plurality of posts. The metasurfaces are configured to be optically active over a wavelength range and in certain embodiments are configured to form lenses. In particular, the metasurfaces described herein may be configured to focus light passed through the metasurface in an extended depth of focus. Accordingly, the disclosed metasurfaces are generally suitable for generating color without or with minimal chromatic aberrations, for example, in conjunction with computational reconstruction.
Claims20
A metasurface having an optical activity that includes lensing and wavefront coding over a wavelength range, comprising:
- a plurality of posts comprising a first material having a first refractive index and arranged on a substrate in a square pattern;
- and
- interstices between individual posts of the plurality of posts comprising an interstitial substance with a second refractive index less than the first refractive index;
- wherein a diameter of the posts of the plurality of posts varies rotationally asymmetrically about an optical axis of the metasurface, wherein at least a portion of the metasurface defines a lens shaped to produce a lensing effect on light in the wavelength range passing through the metasurface, wherein the lensing effect is at least in part based on a gradient of the diameter of the posts along a length of the metasurface, and wherein differences in the diameter of the posts are configured to alter a phase of light passing through the metasurface.
1 more element
An imaging system comprising:
- a metasurface having an optical activity that includes lensing and wavefront coding over a wavelength range, wherein at least a portion of the metasurface defines a lens shaped to produce a lensing effect on light in the wavelength range passing through the metasurface, the metasurface comprising:
- a plurality of posts comprising a first material having a first refractive index and arranged on a substrate in a square pattern;
- and
- interstices between individual posts of the plurality of posts comprising an interstitial substance with a second refractive index less than the first refractive index,
- wherein a diameter of the posts of the plurality of posts varies rotationally asymmetrically about an optical axis of the metasurface, wherein the lensing effect is at least in part based on a gradient of the diameter of the posts along a length of the metasurface, and wherein differences in the diameter of the posts are configured to alter a phase of light passing through the metasurface;
- a photodetector positioned to absorb light that has passed through the metasurface and configured to generate a signal based upon the absorbed light;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the photodetector, the controller including logic that when executed by the controller, causes the device to perform operations including:
- generating a plurality of signals, with the photodetector, based upon light within the wavelength range passed through the metasurface;
- computationally reconstructing the plurality of signals to provide a plurality of computationally reconstructed signals;
- and
- generating, with the plurality of computationally reconstructed signals, an image based upon the light absorbed by the photodetector.
9 more elements
A method of generating an image comprising:
- generating a plurality of signals with a photodetector based on light passed through a metasurface having an optical activity that includes lensing and wavefront coding over a wavelength range, wherein the metasurface defines a lens shaped to produce a lensing effect on light in the wavelength range passing through the metasurface, and wherein the metasurface comprises:
- a plurality of posts comprising a first material having a first refractive index and arranged on a substrate in a square pattern;
- and
- interstices between individual posts of the plurality of posts comprising an interstitial substance with a second refractive index less than the first refractive index,
- wherein a diameter of the posts of the plurality of posts varies rotationally asymmetrically about an optical axis of the metasurface, wherein the lensing effect is at least in part based on a gradient of the diameter of the posts along a length of the metasurface, and wherein differences in the diameter of the posts are configured to alter a phase of light passing through the metasurface;
- computationally reconstructing the plurality of signals to provide a plurality of computationally reconstructed signals;
- and
- generating, with the plurality of computationally reconstructed signals, an image based upon the light absorbed by the photodetector.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.