Reconfigurable Parfocal Zoom Metalens

Zoom lenses with variable focal lengths and magnification ratios are essential for many optical imaging applications. Conventional zoom lenses are composed of multiple refractive optics, and optical zoom is attained via translational motion of one or more lens elements, which adds to module size, complexity, and cost. In this paper, a zoom lens design based on multi-functional optical metasurfaces is presented, which achieves large step zoom ratios, minimal distortion, and diffraction-limited optical quality without requiring mechanical moving parts. Two embodiments of the concept are experimentally demonstrated based on polarization-multiplexing in the visible and phase change materials in the mid-infrared, both yielding 10x parfocal zoom in accordance with the design.

Automated summary

This paper presents a zoom lens design based on multi-functional optical metasurfaces, achieving 10x parfocal zoom using polarization-multiplexing in the visible and phase change materials in the mid-infrared, with large step zoom ratios and minimal distortion.