Anamorphic Metasurface Optical Element for Orthogonal Beam Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical systems face challenges in miniaturization and maintaining optical performance due to the integration of aspherical lenses with cover glasses, particularly in environments with temperature fluctuations, and they struggle to efficiently control light beam intensity and direction in two orthogonal directions.
Innovation Solution
The use of a meta-atom structure on a substrate with anamorphic power, where the first and second cross sections generate different powers, allowing for a metasurface that adjusts light beam intensity and direction, reducing curvature changes with temperature and enabling efficient light beam manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an aspherical lens is integrated with a cover glass to protect the light source, then the optical performance is improved, but the device size increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protective cover glass function with the optical focusing function into a single integrated component. The cover glass is designed with an aspherical surface that serves dual purposes: protecting the light source and focusing the emitted light into a laser beam. This eliminates the need for separate protective glass and focusing lens components, thereby reducing device size while maintaining optical performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover glass is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a protective barrier for the light source and as an optical element for beam shaping and focusing. The aspherical surface configuration enables the cover glass to control light propagation in both horizontal and vertical directions, providing universal functionality that replaces multiple separate components.
2Reliability
If an aspherical lens is integrated with a cover glass, then optical performance is improved, but manufacturing precision becomes more difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the protective cover glass and the aspherical focusing lens into a single component, the patent reduces the total number of optical surfaces that require precise manufacturing and alignment. The integrated design eliminates interface errors between separate components and simplifies the manufacturing process while achieving the desired optical performance.
3Ease of operation
If traditional optical systems are used to control light beam intensity and direction, then the system is simple in structure, but the ability to control light in two orthogonal directions independently is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an asymmetric aspherical surface configuration on the cover glass that is specifically designed to provide different optical powers in orthogonal directions. The surface curvature varies independently in the horizontal and vertical directions, enabling independent control of light beam intensity and direction in these two directions without requiring additional optical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the third dimension (depth/thickness of the cover glass) to achieve two-dimensional light beam control. By designing the aspherical surface with specific curvature variations through the thickness of the glass, the system can independently manipulate light propagation in both horizontal and vertical planes, effectively using dimensional transformation to achieve complex optical control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration achieves high optical performance with reduced size and stability against temperature changes, providing a small and functional light source apparatus with uniform light beam density and controlled light beam angles.
Implementation Method 1
A plurality of meta-atoms are provided on the substrate. A first power is generated by the optical element in a first cross section. A second power is generated by the optical element in a second cross section orthogonal to the first cross section.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical element includes a substrate, and a plurality of meta-atoms provided on the substrate. A first power is generated by the optical element in a first cross section. A second power is generated by the optical element in a second cross section orthogonal to the first cross section. The first power and the second power are different from each other.