Optical devices that include a protected lens
AssigneeNIL Technology ApS
InventorsFredrik Mattinson, Stefano Atella, Ehsan Hashemi, Olivier Francois, Ulrich Quaade
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure describes, among other things, optical devices in which a lens structure is closer to an aperture substrate than is a support on which the lens structure is disposed. The lens structure is defined throughout a metasurface that is distributed across a surface of a support of a lens substrate and that comprises metaatoms configured to change a local amplitude, a local phase, or both, of a light wave at an application wavelength. The present disclosure also describes assemblies incorporating one or more such optical devices, as well as methods of manufacturing the optical devices.
Claims17
An apparatus comprising:
- an aperture substrate having an optical aperture;
- a lens substrate including a lens structure on a support, the lens structure being closer to the aperture substrate than is the support, and the lens structure being defined throughout a metasurface distributed across a surface of the support and comprising meta-atoms configured to change a local amplitude, a local phase, or both, of a light wave at an application wavelength, and the support being transparent to the application wavelength;
- and
- a spacer, wherein a first end of the spacer is attached to the aperture substrate, and a second end of the spacer is attached either to the lens substrate or to a protective covering that covers the metasurface, and
- wherein an opening extends through the spacer from the first end to the second end, wherein the opening has an index of refraction equal to or less than 1.0.
A method comprising:
- providing a first wafer on which a metal layer is disposed, the metal layer defining optical apertures, and the first wafer being transparent to an application wavelength;
- providing a second wafer having a lens structure on a surface of the second wafer, wherein the lens structure is defined by a metastructure distributed across a surface of the second wafer and comprising meta-atoms configured to change a local amplitude, a local phase, or both, of a light wave at the application wavelength, the second wafer being transparent to the application wavelength;
- providing a spacer wafer, wherein there are openings extending through the spacer wafer from a first side of the spacer wafer to a second side of the spacer, wherein the openings have an index of refraction equal to or less than 1.0;
- and
- attaching the first side of the spacer wafer to the first wafer and attaching the second side of the spacer wafer either to the second wafer, or to a protective covering that covers the metastructure, to form a wafer stack, wherein the lens structure is closer to the first wafer than is the second wafer, and wherein each of the optical apertures is aligned with a respective one of the openings in the spacer wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.