Design of a Metasurface with Long Depth of Focus Using Superoscillation

Longitudinal optical field modulation is very important for applications such as optical imaging, spectroscopy, and optical manipulation. It can achieve high-resolution imaging or manipulation of the target object, but it is also limited by its depth of focus. The depth of focus determines whether the target object can be clearly imaged or manipulated at different distances, so extending the depth of focus can improve the adaptability and flexibility of the system. However, how to extend the depth of focus is still a significant challenge. In this paper, we use a super-oscillation phase modulation optimization method to design a polarization-independent metalens with extended focal depth, taking the axial focal depth length as the optimization objective. The optimized metalens has a focal depth of 13.07 mu m (about 22.3 lambda), and in the whole focal depth range, the transverse full width at half maximum values are close to the Rayleigh diffraction limit, and the focusing efficiency is above 10%. The results of this paper provide a new idea for the design of a metalens with a long focal depth and may have application value in imaging, lithography, and detection.

Automated summary

In this paper, a polarization-independent metalens with extended focal depth is designed using a super-oscillation phase modulation optimization method, providing a new approach for designing metalenses with long focal depth and potential applications in imaging, lithography, and detection.