Physical Science/Physics/Quantum Optics - Volumetric meta-optics: fundamental studies and proof of concept implementation
Abstract
The ultimate optical design space is a three-dimensional (3D) volume where the refractive index can be controlled arbitrarily with a spatial resolution significantly smaller than the wavelength of operation. This design space is largely unexplored, mostly because of the difficulty in fabricating and simulating 3D structures. In the past few years, Faraon group has shown that it is possible to design three dimensional optical components with binary refractive index. These structures can perform nonintuitive optical functions that are very difficult to implement, if not impossible, using conventional cascaded optical elements. So far, only a few design configurations have been investigated, that sort light based on few wavelengths, polarization and angle of incidence. These designs are developed using inverse design computational methods, that can indicate what designs are possible but donÕt provide much intuition regarding the design process. While a fully intuitive design process is unlikely to be achieved, certain guidelines for the design process could be obtained. The main objective of this project is to determine the rules and guidelines for developing volumetric meta-optics and to discover both the opportunities and challenges provided by the 3D optical design space. We are taking a multi-faceted approach encompassing fundamental studies of the governing design rules, new simulations tools, and verifying the designs experimentally via novel nanofabrication techniques. On the fundamental side, some of the most important questions are related to how a given device functionality relates to its parameters such as resolution, index contrast, total volume. Determining this relationship will guide the starting point of future designs thus minimizing the computational resources. Another interesting question relates to what are the possible mappings that volumetric meta-optics can do between the multi-dimensional space describing an incident light field and the two-dimensional space of an image sensors. Regarding the simulation tools, in this project we plan to further develop them by incorporating concepts from machine learning. The experimental implementation will be done at mid infrared frequencies, where the structures can be fabricated using two photon lithography and multi-layer lithography, that will be explored in this project. Page C-
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 2022
- Source ID
- W911NF2210097
Entities
People
- Andrei Faraon
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- California Institute of Technology
- United States Army