Polarization-independent metalens constructed of antennas without rotational invariance

We propose a novel approach to designing an ultrathin polarization-independent metalens (PIM) by utilizing antennas without rotational invariance. Two arrays of nanoblocks are elaborately designed to form the super cell of the PIM, which are capable of focusing right-handed circularly polarized and left-handed circularly polarized lights. With such a strategy, the PIM is able to achieve polarization-independent focusing, since the light with any polarization can be treated as a combination of the two orthogonal ones. A theoretical analysis based on the Jones vector is proposed to detailedly explore the underlying physics. The polarization-independent characteristic of the designed PIM is also demonstrated by utilizing finite difference time domain simulations. Moreover, polarization-independent focusing can be achieved within a wavelength range of 400 nm. These results can deepen our understanding of polarization-independent focusing and provide a new method for designing ultrathin polarization-independent devices. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America