Search

Fluorescence microscopy with optical sectioning capabilities is extensively utilized in biological research to obtain three-dimensional structural images of volumetric samples. Tunable lenses have been applied in microscopy for axial scanning to acquire multiplane images. However, images acquired by conventional tunable lenses suffer from spherical aberration and distortions. Here, we design, fabricate, and implement a dielectric Moiré metalens for fluorescence imaging. The Moiré metalens consists of two complementary phase metasurfaces, with variable focal length, ranging from ∼10 to ∼125 mm at 532 nm by tuning mutual angles. In addition, a telecentric configuration using the Moiré metalens is designed for high-contrast multiplane fluorescence imaging. The performance of our system is evaluated by optically sectioned images obtained from HiLo illumination of fluorescently labeled beads, as well as ex vivo mice intestine tissue samples. The compact design of the varifocal metalens may find important applications in fluorescence microscopy and endoscopy for clinical purposes.

Tomography is an informative imaging modality that is usually implemented by mechanical scanning, owing to the limited depth-of-field (DOF) in conventional systems. However, recent imaging systems are working towards more compact and stable architectures; therefore, developing nonmotion tomography is highly desirable. Here, we propose a metalens-based spectral imaging system with an aplanatic GaN metalens (NA = 0.78), in which large chromatic dispersion is used to access spectral focus tuning and optical zooming in the visible spectrum. After the function of wavelength-switched tomography was confirmed on cascaded samples, this aplanatic metalens is utilized to image microscopic frog egg cells and shows excellent tomographic images with distinct DOF features of the cell membrane and nucleus. Our approach makes good use of the large diffractive dispersion of the metalens and develops a new imaging technique that advances recent informative optical devices., Bioimaging: metalenses make 3D analysis effortless An ultrathin “metalens” that uses semiconductor nanostructures to focus light can help microscopes resolve detailed images of live cells without complex mechanical components. In conventional tomographic imaging, a scanning instrument passes over the sample and takes multiple cross-sectional images, which are then reconstructed into a 3D picture. Tao Li from Nanjing University in China and colleagues have now simplified this technique by fabricating lenses patterned with concentric rings of gallium nitride nanopillars. The lens made of nanopillars has wavelength-dependent properties that enable focusing on different regions of a target simply by sweeping through the visible light spectrum. Experiments with frog egg cells demonstrated this approach could zoom in and obtain detailed, high quality images of the inner membrane and nucleus without harming the sample or moving the metalens.

The optical sectioning images of volumetric biological sample was obtained by varifocal metalens with Moire effect in fluorescence microscopy system in conjunction with telecentricity and HiLo image processing method. The varifocal metalens is capable of changing the focal depth ranging from 10 mm to 125 mm by tuning the relative angle between its paired metasurfaces. The standard resolution target and fluorescent mircrosphere are imaged and analyzed; its lateral resolution and optical sectioning capability are 2.46 μm and 7.5 μm, respectively. Our study offers a demonstration, a solid foundation, for developing more compact optical microscopy systems based on metasurface optics.

The optical tweezer is one of the important techniques for contactless manipulation in biological research to control the motion of tiny objects. For three-dimensional (3D) optical manipulation, shaped light beams have been widely used. Typically, spatial light modulators are used for shaping light fields. However, they suffer from bulky size, narrow operational bandwidth, and limitations of incident polarization states. Here, a cubic-phase dielectric metasurface, composed of GaN circular nanopillars, is designed and fabricated to generate a polarization-independent vertically accelerated two-dimensional (2D) Airy beam in the visible region. The distinctive propagation characteristics of a vertically accelerated 2D Airy beam, including non-diffraction, self-acceleration, and self-healing, are experimentally demonstrated. An optical manipulation system equipped with a cubic-phase metasurface is designed to perform 3D manipulation of microscale particles. Due to the high-intensity gradients and the reciprocal propagation trajectory of Airy beams, particles can be laterally shifted and guided along the axial direction. In addition, the performance of optical trapping is quantitatively evaluated by experimentally measured trapping stiffness. Our metasurface has great potential to shape light for compact systems in the field of physics and biological applications.

We design and fabricate a 60 × 60 GaN based achromatic meta-lens array to capture multidimensional optical information of the scene. The working wavelength is from 400 nm to 660 nm which covers the entire visible light range. The highest efficiency of single metalens can be up to 74% at a wavelength of 420 nm, while the average efficiency is approximately 39% over the whole working bandwidth. The light field images and the depth information of objects can be determined by reorganizing the patches of sub-images and calculating the disparity of neighboring sub-images, respectively. The depth information can be used to optimize the patch sizes to render the all-in-focus image without artifacts. Our work provides several advantages associated with light field imaging: elimination of chromatic aberration, polarization selectivity and compatibility of the semiconductor process.

A light-field camera captures both the intensity and the direction of incoming light1–5. This enables a user to refocus pictures and afterwards reconstruct information on the depth of field. Research on light-field imaging can be divided into two components: acquisition and rendering. Microlens arrays have been used for acquisition, but obtaining broadband achromatic images with no spherical aberration remains challenging. Here, we describe a metalens array made of gallium nitride (GaN) nanoantennas6 that can be used to capture light-field information and demonstrate a full-colour light-field camera devoid of chromatic aberration. The metalens array contains an array of 60 × 60 metalenses with diameters of 21.65 μm. The camera has a diffraction-limited resolution of 1.95 μm under white light illumination. The depth of every object in the scene can be reconstructed slice by slice from a series of rendered images with different depths of focus. Full-colour, achromatic light-field cameras could find applications in a variety of fields such as robotic vision, self-driving vehicles and virtual and augmented reality. A metalens array of GaN nanoantennas is used to make a full-colour achromatic light-field camera.

Metalenses have great ability in light focusing and can be tailored to exhibit varied functionalities for ultrathin optical applications. Here, we demonstrate a GaN metalens array which can be regarded as a light shaping generator for the structured light generation. The metalens array consists of 60 x 60 metalenses which can project a 42 cm x 42 cm light spots area at the distance of 1.5 M. The distance can be estimated by identifying the deformation of light spot distribution. The advantages of this metadevice is light weight, small, ultrathin, durable and easy to compact with other devices. Our design provides a new avenue for the structured light applications such as distance sensing and 3D environmental construction.

Manipulation of Smith-Purcell radiation (SPR) by electron-bunch excitation of localized surface plasmon (LSP) of gold (Au) disc arrays on Au substrate is investigated by FDTD simulation. When the wavelength of LSP mode is within the SPR emission band, SPR is locked and enhanced at the LSP wavelength. The emission angle of LSP-locked SPR still follows the wavelength-angle relation of traditional SPR. Furthermore, both the emission wavelength and angle increase as the radius and height of Au disc increase.

Here we demonstrated a GaN metalens array to project a light spots array which can be a light shape generator in the structure light applications. The advantages of this metadevice is light weight, small, ultrathin, durable and easy to compact with other device. The light spot size is a function with the distance of detector. A metalens array which arranged by the single metalens diameter is 20 μm projected a light spots array whose diameter of single light spot is 2.22 um in average at the distance is 150 cm far away and. Our design provides a new avenue for the structure light application such as distance sensing and 3D environmental construction.

Metalens significantly suffers from chromatic aberration issue, which limits its applications on color images. Here we demonstrate the first broadband achromatic metalens in visible wavelength based on the concept of integrated-resonant unit elements (IRUEs).

Metalenses consist of an array of optical nanoantennas on a surface capable of manipulating the properties of an incoming light wavefront. Various flat optical components, such as polarizers, optical imaging encoders, tunable phase modulators and a retroreflector, have been demonstrated using a metalens design. An open issue, especially problematic for colour imaging and display applications, is the correction of chromatic aberration, an intrinsic effect originating from the specific resonance and limited working bandwidth of each nanoantenna. As a result, no metalens has demonstrated full-colour imaging in the visible wavelength. Here, we show a design and fabrication that consists of GaN-based integrated-resonant unit elements to achieve an achromatic metalens operating in the entire visible region in transmission mode. The focal length of our metalenses remains unchanged as the incident wavelength is varied from 400 to 660 nm, demonstrating complete elimination of chromatic aberration at about 49% bandwidth of the central working wavelength. The average efficiency of a metalens with a numerical aperture of 0.106 is about 40% over the whole visible spectrum. We also show some examples of full-colour imaging based on this design. Integrating the Pancharatnam–Berry phase with integrated resonant nanoantennas in a metalens design produces an achromatic device capable of full-colour imaging in the visible range in transmission mode.

We report the most recent advances in optical meta-devices and their applications. The general principle and method of optical meta-devices are introduced. The development of the two most recent and state-of-the-art optical meta-devices, a broadband achromatic optical meta-lens in the visible range and a 60 × 60 achromatic meta-lens array, is shown. Full-color achromatic imaging in visible frequency (400 nm to 660 nm) is demonstrated with high efficiency (maximum 67%, average around 40%) by a GaN achromatic meta-lens. A nature-inspired 60 × 60 GaN achromatic meta-lens array with an individual meta-lens diameter of 21.65 μm, a focal length of 49 μm, and a numerical aperture of 0.2157 shows high-dimensional light-field image capture including the depth and velocity of the imaging objects. The total number of nano-antennas of the meta-lens array is more than 33 million which covers an area of 1.2 × 1.2 mm2. Results show the important advantages of optical meta-devices for flat optics are their small size, light weight, high efficiency, lower energy consumption, and mass producibility by semiconductor processes.