Conformal optical metasurfaces

• US 9,995,859 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Kamali, Seyedeh Mahsa, Arbabi, Ehsan, Arbabi, Amir, Faraon, Andrei
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Sing P
• Application Number:
  US15/097,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20160320531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 156249, 1563071, 1563073, 1563075, 1563077, 156701, 156705
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/002 made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0025 for optical correction, e.g. distorsion, aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4211 correcting chromatic aberrations G02B27/0056, G02B27/4222, G02B27/4227 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0226 having particles on the surface
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0263 with positional variation of the diffusing properties, e.g. gradient or patterned diffuser
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0268 characterized by the fabrication or manufacturing method
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1876 Diffractive Fresnel lenses; Zone plates; Kinoforms G02B5/1842, G02B5/1847 take precedence; optical systems having diffractive correction means G02B27/0037; Fresnel lenses operating by refraction G02B3/08

Abstract

Structures for scattering light at multiple wavelengths are disclosed. Scattering elements are fabricated with different geometric dimensions and arrangements, to scatter or focus light at the the same focal distance for each wavelength, or at different focal distances according to the desired application. The scattering elements fabricated on a substrate can be peeled off with a polymer matrix and attached to a lens to modify the optical properties of the lens.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

fabricating a metasurface on a substrate, the metasurface having a plurality of scattering elements;

depositing a polymer matrix on the metasurface;

peeling off the plurality of scattering elements from the substrate, by peeling off the polymer matrix from the substrate;

attaching the plurality of scattering elements to a lens, by attaching the polymer matrix to the lens.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the peeling off comprises sonicating the plurality of scattering elements on the substrate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying an optical property of the lens by the plurality of scattering elements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the optical property is a focal length of the lens.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the optical property is a coma aberration of the lens.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the polymer matrix is made of polydimethylsiloxane and the scattering elements are made of amorphous silicon.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the scattering elements are cylindrical posts.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein fabricating the metasurface further comprises:

calculating a first phase profile of optical waves at a surface of the lens;

calculating a second phase profile of optical waves at the surface of the lens according to a desired functionality of the lens, the second phase profile being a desired phase profile different from the first phase profile;

calculating a third phase profile of optical waves equal to a difference between the first and second phase profiles;

calculating physical dimensions of the plurality of scattering elements at the surface of the lens necessary to obtain the third phase profile of optical waves;

fabricating the metasurface according to the calculated physical dimensions; and

wherein attaching the plurality of scattering elements to the lens is to obtain a metasurface lens having the second phase profile of optical waves.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the calculating the first, second and third phase profiles is carried out through a ray optics approximation.