US 2026/0169190 A1 · MULTI-ZONE FLAT-OPTICS ARCHITECTURES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS

Abstract

Flat optics systems, architectures, and methods that incorporate multi-zone design for enhanced performance and multifunctionality. The flat optics technology incorporates metasurfaces to leverage the pixelated, planar device architecture to integrate additional features such as beam shaping, modulation, testing, alignment, and adaptive functionality on a single platform, offering superior performance and small form factor. A disclosed multi-zone flat optical device includes multiple flat optics components such as metasurfaces formed on or in a substrate, forming primary and auxiliary functional zones, where the primary functional zone performs a primary optical function, and the primary functional zones are used for testing, alignment, calibration, recognition, etc. The multiple functional zones may be configured to operate under different incident light conditions including wavelength, incident angle, polarization, etc. so that the operation of the auxiliary functional zones does not interfere with the operation of the primary functional zone. Fabrication and assembling methods are also disclosed.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A multi-zone flat optics device, comprising:

a substrate;
a first flat optics component formed on, in, or over the substrate to form a first functional zone, wherein the first functional zone is configured to manipulate incident light by altering its phase, amplitude, or polarization;
and
a second flat optics component formed on, in, or over the substrate to form a second functional zone, wherein the second functional zone is configured to manipulate incident light by altering its phase, amplitude, or polarization,
wherein the second functional zone has a linear size less than a half of that of the first functional zone, and wherein the first functional zone is located in a center area of the substrate and the second functional zone is located in a peripheral area of the substrate.

2 more elements

A multi-zone flat optics device, comprising:

a substrate;
a first flat optics component formed on, in, or over the substrate to form a first functional zone, wherein the first functional zone is configured to manipulate incident light by altering its phase, amplitude, or polarization;
and
a second flat optics component formed on, in, or over the substrate to form a second functional zone, wherein the second functional zone is configured to manipulate incident light by altering its phase, amplitude, or polarization,
wherein under incident light of a first wavelength range or a first incident angle range or a first polarization, the first functional zone is configured to provide primary optical function including diffraction, refraction, transmission, reflection, absorption, or coupling, while the second functional zone is non-functional, and under incident light of a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range or a second incident angle range different from the first incident angle range or a second polarization different from the first polarization, the second functional zone is configured to provide an additional optical function including diffraction, refraction, transmission, reflection, absorption, or coupling, while the first functional zone is non-functional.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Multi-zone flat-optics architectures, systems and methods

Life of this patent

Multi-zone flat-optics architectures, systems and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18