3D-patterned inverse-designed mid-infrared metaoptics

Abstract

Modern imaging systems can be enhanced in efficiency, compactness, and application through the introduction of multilayer nanopatterned structures for manipulation of light based on its fundamental properties. High transmission multispectral imaging is elusive due to the commonplace use of filter arrays which discard most of the incident light. Further, given the challenges of miniaturizing optical systems, most cameras do not leverage the wealth of information in polarization and spatial degrees of freedom. Optical metamaterials can respond to these electromagnetic properties but have been explored primarily in single-layer geometries, limiting their performance and multifunctional capacity. Here we use advanced two-photon lithography to realize multilayer scattering structures that achieve highly nontrivial optical transformations intended to process light just before it reaches a focal plane array. Computationally optimized multispectral and polarimetric sorting devices are fabricated with submicron feature sizes and experimentally validated in the mid-infrared. A final structure shown in simulation redirects light based on its angular momentum. These devices demonstrate that with precise 3-dimensional nanopatterning, one can directly modify the scattering properties of a sensor array to create advanced imaging systems.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
May 13, 2023
Source ID
10.1038/s41467-023-38258-2

Entities

People

  • Andrei Faraon
  • Conner Ballew
  • Gregory Roberts
  • Juan C. Garcia
  • Philip W. C. Hon
  • Sarah Camayd-muñoz
  • Tianzhe Zheng

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Nanofabrication and Microfabrication.
  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics