Broadband thermal imaging using meta-optics

Luocheng Huang, Zheyi Han, Anna Wirth-Singh, Vishwanath Saragadam, Saswata Mukherjee, Johannes E. Fröch, Quentin A. A. Tanguy, Joshua Rollag, Ricky Gibson, Joshua R. Hendrickson, Philip W. C. Hon, Orrin Kigner, Zachary Coppens, Karl F. Böhringer, Ashok Veeraraghavan and Arka Majumdar ()
Additional contact information
Luocheng Huang: University of Washington
Zheyi Han: University of Washington
Anna Wirth-Singh: University of Washington
Vishwanath Saragadam: Rice University
Saswata Mukherjee: University of Washington
Johannes E. Fröch: University of Washington
Quentin A. A. Tanguy: University of Washington
Joshua Rollag: KBR, Inc.
Ricky Gibson: Sensors Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory
Joshua R. Hendrickson: Sensors Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory
Philip W. C. Hon: NG Next, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Orrin Kigner: NG Next, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Zachary Coppens: CFD Research Corporation
Karl F. Böhringer: University of Washington
Ashok Veeraraghavan: Rice University
Arka Majumdar: University of Washington

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Subwavelength diffractive optics known as meta-optics have demonstrated the potential to significantly miniaturize imaging systems. However, despite impressive demonstrations, most meta-optical imaging systems suffer from strong chromatic aberrations, limiting their utilities. Here, we employ inverse-design to create broadband meta-optics operating in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) regime (8-12 μm). Via a deep-learning assisted multi-scale differentiable framework that links meta-atoms to the phase, we maximize the wavelength-averaged volume under the modulation transfer function (MTF) surface of the meta-optics. Our design framework merges local phase-engineering via meta-atoms and global engineering of the scatterer within a single pipeline. We corroborate our design by fabricating and experimentally characterizing all-silicon LWIR meta-optics. Our engineered meta-optic is complemented by a simple computational backend that dramatically improves the quality of the captured image. We experimentally demonstrate a six-fold improvement of the wavelength-averaged Strehl ratio over the traditional hyperboloid metalens for broadband imaging.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45904-w

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