Metalenses are flat devices that focus and manipulate optical waves. Unlike reflective and refractive optics, metalenses rely on phase shifts introduced by subwavelength metastructures. Demonstrate the cost and performance impact of using manufactured metaatoms from two lithography processes to design and manufacture metalenses. Design two types of metalenses, the first type (ideal) uses an ideal design made up of square metaatoms. This lens design is then simulated using both 193nm and 248nm lithography processes. The second type (manufacture-aware) uses a design that is built around metaatom profiles produced by the corresponding lithography process (193nm and 248nm respectively). By comparing the performance of these two approaches (ideal and manufacture-aware) we demonstrate the process performance impact can be reduced. Comparing 193nm and 248nm processes show a up to a 27% difference in monochromatic metalens performance for a design derived from ideal metaatoms. However, by simulating manufactured metaatoms and using them in the design stage, manufactured metalens performance returns to within 7% of ideal. When designing with manufactured metaatoms rather than ideal metaatoms, metalens performance is similar between both 193nm and 248nm processes and manufacture-aware design makes either process viable for visible-light metalens manufacturing.
Metalenses pave the way for drastic miniaturization of imaging systems like electric vehicle cameras, phones, and various other micro-camera applications1 . As an example, researchers in the U.S. used semiconductor manufacturing techniques to produce a large aperture, flat metalens. It was used as the objective lens in a simple telescope. The telescope achieved resolving power superior to refractive and reflective optics and produced clear images of the surface of the Moon2 . Though metalenses are a promising advance in scaling down the size of optical systems, there are challenges, both in their design and preparing them for high volume manufacturing. In this paper, we demonstrate the advantage of a manufacturing aware design flow that combines advanced technology from optical design and manufacturing processes design software that brings a manufactured metalens closer to the ideal metalens performance. The flow aids the implementation of design rules from and to optical and manufacturing design, allows the designer to shorten the design cycle, and ultimately stives for the target of a first design correct metalens.
With the introduction of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality (AR/VR/MR) applications, the fabrication of photonics devices is approaching a high volume manufacturing level. To scale these products to consumer friendly dimensions, there is still significant shrink needed for many not yet available components such as ultrasmall cameras, metalenses, microdisplays, and combiner optics. AR/VR/MR optical components include metalenses patterned over large areas, and the fidelity of these patterns may have a significant impact on performance. In this study, we apply OPC to the design intent and examine the implication of various lithographic and correction techniques on metalens performance through simulation. In addition, we investigate the root causes of the manufacturing process variability and its impact on metalens functionality. These devices are analyzed by comparing light propagation through the simulated manufactured system using rigorous lithographic models to the optimal system based on the design intent. The study finds that the size and shape of meta-atoms have a different impact on optical performance, depending on the type of the metalens.
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