Ultrathin, Wide‐Angle, and High‐Resolution Meta‐Imaging System via Rear‐Position Wavevector Filter

Abstract

AbstractUltrathin metalenses are a revolutionary technology that have emerged in recent years, offering the potential for high‐resolution, wide‐angle imaging in a compact form factor. However, to eliminate imaging aberrations, multilayered structures are often required, which makes the thickness of these devices comparable to the focal length, negating their ultrathin advantage. Here, a novel methodology using a rear‐position wavevector filter is proposed as a solution to this problem, allowing for the necessary thickness to be achieved in subwavelength scale and independent of metalens parameters. Compared with the previous wide‐angle metalens with the minimum ratio of thickness to focal length, this approach has been shown to compress the ratio of thickness to focal length by 55 times compared to traditional metalenses and has been experimentally demonstrated in both the visible and near‐infrared with a maximum diffraction‐limited field of view of over 120°. In addition, this approach can also compress the system length by 50% and increase imaging resolution by more than 3 times. This methodology can be scaled to all spectral bands and has the potential to revolutionize the design paradigm of imaging systems for industrial and research applications.