Tiny Metalenses Could Revolutionise Cameras in Phones, Drones, and Satellites

The breakthrough was achieved by stacking layers of tiny, precisely shaped metamaterial structures which bend light correctly regardless of its color or polarization. It enables high-quality imaging for devices like phones, drones, and satellites.

Bengaluru: Scientists have developed a new kind of tiny lens that could make cameras in phones, drones, and satellites much smaller, lighter, and cheaper without sacrificing quality. Traditional lenses are thick and bulky, but these “metalenses” are extremely thin, only a fraction of the width of a human hair. What’s special about the new design is that it can focus multiple colors of light at once and work for unpolarized light, which most natural light is. Previous metalenses struggled with this, especially when trying to make them large enough to collect a lot of light. The breakthrough comes from stacking several layers of tiny, carefully shaped structures made of metamaterials. These shapes, like tiny squares, clovers, and propellers, bend light in just the right way to focus it no matter its color or polarization.

Why It Matters

This breakthrough is significant because it could transform the way cameras and optical devices are built. Unlike traditional lenses, these metalenses are extremely thin, lightweight, and capable of focusing multiple colors of light at once. This means cameras on smartphones, drones, and satellites could become much smaller and more efficient without compromising image quality. The multilayer design also makes manufacturing easier and more scalable, using techniques already common in the semiconductor industry. In practical terms, this could lead to cheaper, lighter, and more powerful optical devices, opening the door for high-quality imaging in compact gadgets and advanced scientific instruments.The new metalenses could significantly enhance light collection in compact imaging systems, making them particularly attractive for drones and earth-observation satellites. The project was led by scientists from Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany under the International Research Training Group Meta-ACTIVE. Their findings are published in Optics Express.