Abstract
Metasurfaces in the long wave infrared (LWIR) spectrum hold great potential for applications in thermal imaging, atmospheric remote sensing, and target identification, among others. In this study, we designed and experimentally demonstrated a 4 mm size, all-silicon metasurface metalens with large depth of focus operational across a broadband range from 9 μm to 11.5 μm. The experimental results confirm effective focusing and imaging capabilities of the metalens in LWIR region, thus paving the way for practical LWIR applications of metalens technology.
Miniaturized and lightweight imaging systems are fast becoming integral to consumer electronics, industrial, medical, and automotive sector
Metasurfaces, artificially arranged nanostructures with sub-wavelength patterned layer
Contrary to the short-wave range, LWIR requires higher imaging tolerances due to its all-weather applicability in military and security sectors, necessitating a larger DOF
Given the diverse and com plex requirements of long-wave infrared metalenses, including collecting more light for imaging, expanding the size of the metalens becomes essentia
In the present study, we introduce a metalens with extensive DOF for LWIR focusing. Such a metalens is designed based on propagation phase modulation with silicon and can be realized through a straightforward single-step UV lithography process, which is capable of performing in the 9- 11.5 μm wavelength range.
The design of the unit cell must balance the high refractive index and low absorption of the material in use. Many of the cells employed in recent work are complex media, reducing their process compatibility. Our solution to these challenges is a silicon cylinder structure relying on propagation phase modulation. As illustrated in

Fig.1 The meta-atoms of metalens: (a) schematic diagram of designed meta-atoms; (b) the relationship between propagation phase and radius of meta-atoms in LWIR; (c) the transmission spectrum of meta-atoms in LWIR; (d) the electric field distribution of meta-atoms at wavelength of 9-11.5 μm
图1 超透镜的超表面单元:(a)设计的超表面单元示意图;(b)长波红外中超表面单元的传输相位与半径的关系;(c)长波红外中超表面单元的透射谱;(d) 9~11.5 μm波段内超表面单元的电场分布
Simulations performed using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods demonstrate that the propagation phase can be adjusted by modifying the radius of the subwavelength meta-atoms. The propagation phase versus radius is displayed in
The ideal phase distribution of a metalens can be expressed as
, | (1) |
here, (x, y) denotes the spatial coordinates of the unit structure, λ represents the free space wavelength, and f is the focal length of the metalens. It can be understood from this equation that with the same radial distance and wavelength, a higher focal length results in a smaller geometric phase difference. This implies a higher requirement for phase regulation accuracy, substantially increasing the fabrication complexity.
For the metalens to have sufficient phase control capability and focusing efficiency, it's necessary that the metalens' meta-atoms can cover a phase of 2π, and that each meta-atom exhibits high transmittance. Based on the optical response results displayed in
The DOF of a lens can be generally expressed as per
, | (2) |
where NA = sin[arctan(D/(2f))], and D is incident aperture. To augment the DOF of the metalens, one can either reduce the incident aperture or increase the focal length. However, reducing the incident aperture will compromise the metalens resolution, while a significantly larger focal length will enlarge the entire optical system. Therefore, continuous optimization is required to select the appropriate incident aperture and focal length. According to Huygens' principle, the phase gradient over the surface of a metalens determines the propagation direction of the transmitted ligh
We first designed a metalens structure with a central wavelength of 10.5 μm using the outlined method. Simulation results confirmed a commendable focusing effect and substantial DOF within the broadband range of 9-11.5 μm.

Fig.2 The simulation results of metalens in 1 mm diameter: (a-c) simulated focusing effect at the operating wavelength of the 9, 10 and 10.5 μm for a metalens with a central wavelength of 10.5 μm; (d-f) comparison of the surface phase distribution of the metalens at 9, 10 and 10.5 μm. The dot plots are the theoretical surface phase distribution of the metalens with different operating wavelengths, and the error bar shows the deviation of the actual phase distribution
图2 直径为1 mm的超透镜的模拟结果:(a-c)模拟的中心波长为10.5 μm的超透镜在9、10和10.5 μm工作波长下的聚焦效果;(d-f) 9、10和10.5 µm处超透镜的表面相位分布比较。点阵图为不同工作波长下超透镜的理论表面相位分布,误差条为超透镜实际相位分布的偏差
Next, we studied the focusing deviation of the metalens during broadband operation.
To enhance the practical application performance of the metalens, we designed a 4 mm diameter metalens with focal length of 4 mm and central wavelength of 10.5 μm.

Fig.3 The fabrication of metalens:(a) fabrication process flow diagram of the metalens; (b) local view of the fabricated metalens; (c) photograph of the fabricated metalens; (d) full view of the surface of the metalens
图3 超透镜的制作:(a)超透镜的制备工艺流程图;(b)制备的超透镜的局部图;(c)制备的超透镜的照片;(d)超透镜表面全貌

Fig.4 Focusing performance test of the fabricated LWIR metalens:(a) index path of experiment; (b) simulation intensity of the focal plane; (c) measured power intensity across the focal plane; (d) intensity fitting of the focal spot. The original data are taken from (c);(e) image of the focal spot along the axis of the metalens
图4 制备的LWIR超透镜聚焦性能测试:(a)实验光路图;(b)模拟的焦平面电场分布;(c)实测的焦平面光强;(d)焦斑的归一化强度拟合,原始数据取自(c);(e)沿超透镜轴线拍摄的焦点图像
Subsequently, we fabricated the metalens via photolithography. The fabrication process involved direct utilization of pure silicon wafer to create samples with a substrate thickness of 625 μm. The process commenced with transferring the pattern from the mask plate onto the photoresist using ultraviolet lithography. This was followed by applying a chromium layer on the sample surface through magnetron sputtering. Afterward, we employed the lift-off process to wash off the photoresist, leaving behind the chromium pattern. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching technology was used to create the metasurface and removed the remaining chromium using ceric ammonium nitrate. This process notably reduced the production budget and complexity as it employed only one-step UV lithography and ICP etching instead of low-temperature deep silicon etching. The process flow diagram is shown in
To validate the focusing effect and practical application capability of our metalens, we designed and conducted a series of test experiments. The experimental setup, as shown in
Focusing efficiency is defined as the ratio of integrated power within the circle having radius 1.5 × FWHM to the incident power on the metalen
Subsequently, we used the metalens for passive imaging. The experimental setup involved removing the lens of the traditional infrared camera and replacing it with our metalens. The distance between the metalens and the detector plane was adjusted, and the camera's signal was directly input into the computer for reading. The optical path diagram of the imaging experiment is given in Fig. S8(in supplemental document). We tested different targets (at the same distance) and observed good results.

Fig.5 Metalens imaging experiment results:(a) photograph of monitor; (b) photograph of face; (c) photograph of hands; (d) photograph of fire
图5 超透镜成像实验结果:(a)显示器;(b)人脸;(c)手;(d)火焰
Our successful implementation of the infrared imaging experiment demonstrates the versatility of our design. As these metalens are made of pure silicon, they are compatible with the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) platform and additional devices. This compatibility simplifies the building of the light path, making system miniaturization achievable.
In conclusion, this letter presents the design and fabrication of a metalens structure with a substantial DOF and broad band operation. We have demonstrated the LWIR focusing capability of an all-silicon metalens through using the thermal infrared spontaneous broadband radiation of the target to achieve passive imaging experiments. This research opens up numerous possibilities for various applications such as low-visibility imaging, robot guiding systems, and portable military detection etc. We are confident that the 9-11.5 µm metalens can be successfully integrated into optical systems, thereby paving the way for extensive applications in infrared imaging.
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