What They Say
Optics.org reported research from the Universities of Princeton and Washington that has led to the development of a camera using ‘metasurfaces’ that is just the size of a grain of salt. The metasurface optical elements, based on silicon nitride, have 1.6 million cylindrical posts in an area just 0.5mm wide . The posts have a range of geometries to achieve the desired optical effect. The image created is then processed using an algorithm created using machine learning. The algorithms are essential as without very efficient algorithms, the processing could take huge amounts of time and computing power.
The researches said that the image produced, apart from “a bit of blurring at the edges of the frame” the image was comparable to an image created by conventional six element optics with a volume of 500,000 greater.
There are applications in medical uses but the cameras could be used in arrays to turn surfaces into cameras.
What We Think
As you can tell from my recent Display Daily (Is There Really “No Moore’s Law for Optics”?), the topic of metasurfaces is one that really intrigues me. (BR)
