Reconfigurable planar optics (Smartlens)
This project leverages on a new technology in which the phase of the transmitted light is shaped by using the thermo-optical effect, i.e. the temperature dependence of the refractive index of most dielectric materials.
By engineering the temperature landscape in a thermo-optical material, a spatially varying refractive index distribution is formed that can lead to a wide variety of planar optical functionalities.
Motivation
In the current era of images, integrated reconfigurable optical elements are essential building blocks to improve the performance of new photonic devices, all the way from the consumer market, with displays and cameras, to the research and clinic environments with advanced microscopy. To respond to new demands, several technological solutions have been proposed, including tuneable lenses, spatial light modulators and reconfigurable metasurfaces, involving a variety of actuation mechanisms. However, to date, wavefront shaping technologies do not meet the needs of many emerging photonics applications, including displays and advanced imaging, which require a combination of compacity, cost-efficiency, operation in transmission mode, and reconfigurability beyond simple refocusing. Here, we leverage on a novel concept, recently introduced by our group and coined as Smartlens, in which the phase of the transmitted light is shaped by using the thermo-optical effect, i.e. the temperature dependence of the refractive index of most dielectric materials (physical effect involved in mirages). By engineering the temperature landscape in a thermo-optical material, one forms a distribution of refractive index associated to a desired optical element.
Research focus
- Towards advanced reconfigurable metalenses
- Pushing the limits of free-form planar optics
Project members
Collaborators
- Pascal Berto and Gilles Tessier (Institut de la Vision, France)