Non-imaging freeform lenses are a convenient tool for intensity and beam shaping processes due to their highly customizable designs and high efficiency. The surface curvature of these lenses are designed to ensure optimal transport of energy from the light source to a target plane, and require increasingly precise fabrication to attain the desired efficiency in complicated beam shaping cases. Metasurfaces have the ability to impart any phase profile, thus mimicking any surface curvature, without additional fabrication challenges. Here we present a theoretical framework based on the optimal transport formulation from non-imaging optics, for calculating the two dimensional phase profile of a metasurface for applications with normally incident light and cylindrical symmetry.
NIL Technology (NILT) is an optical solutions company designing, developing, and manufacturing flat optical elements and components with nanoscale features such as diffractive optical elements (DOEs) and meta optical elements (MOEs). NILT’s MOE lenses have recently demonstrated a groundbreaking 94% absolute efficiency at 940 nm. This major milestone, in combination with other efforts such as the subsequent module integration and enabling of mass production of MOE elements, are among the key development areas for successful adoption of MOE lenses in various markets, ranging from consumer to automotive and applications such as sensing and machine vision systems. Here, we report our recent achievements with a camera module based on an MOE lens. We have successfully designed and manufactured camera modules using a single MOE lens showing excellent performance compared to refractive lens counterparts. The design has a low f-number and extremely high relative illumination. Prototypes are prepared using e-beam lithography, whereas MOE lenses in mass production are manufactured using nanoimprint lithography. The characterization of the MOE lenses reveals full agreement with the simulated nominal design. Image artifacts can appear due to higher orders of diffraction if the MOE lenses are not designed and manufactured properly. To illustrate the promise for volume production, a tolerance analysis has been performed, where the system tolerance analysis shows yield versus performance. At the module level, a straylight study, including ghost image and finally, thermal stability has been analyzed. The tolerance and thermal analysis are not presented in this manuscript. These results show the advantages of using 'NILT's high-efficiency meta optical elements compared to traditional optical systems.
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