A research team headed up at Seoul National University has pioneered an innovative metasurface-based folded lens system, paving the way for a new generation of slimline cameras for use in smartphones and augmented/virtual reality devices.
Traditional lens modules, built from vertically stacked refractive lenses, have fundamental thickness limitations, mainly due to the need for space between lenses and the intrinsic volume of each individual lens. In an effort to overcome these restrictions, the researchers – also at Stanford University and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology – have developed a lens system using metasurface folded optics. The approach enables unprecedented manipulation of light with exceptional control of intensity, phase and polarization – all while maintaining thicknesses of less than a millimetre.
To read more, click here.