Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Achieve dynamic control of light—liquid crystals offer way to reconfigure optical properties of metalenses

By Lisa McDonald / August 25, 2020

Metalenses are an emerging technology for controlling light that could someday replace traditional lenses. However, they generally lack dynamic control over their optical properties and are limited to passive optical applications. Researchers from the United States and Italy investigated infiltrating metalenses with liquid crystals to allow for dynamic control.

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From grain-sized to centimeter scale—technique makes mass production of metalenses possible

By Lisa McDonald / December 13, 2019

Metalenses, or flat surfaces that use nanostructures to focus light, are poised to revolutionize cameras, sensors, and displays—if the lenses can be mass produced. Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences found deep-ultraviolet projection lithography can solve this production challenge.

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Goodbye glass—optical lenses go 2D

By Lisa McDonald / November 30, 2018

Metalenses, a type of metasurface used for focusing light, could replace glass in cameras and imaging systems. Two recent studies advance this possibility.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By / June 11, 2013

Berkeley Lab researchers increase NMR/MRI sensitivity through hyperpolarization of nuclei in diamond Today’s nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging technologies, like quantum information processing and nuclear spintronic technologies, are…

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