Metasurface-Refractive Hybrid Lens Modeling with Vector Field Physical Optics

• DOI: 10.3390/photonics12040401
• Publication Date: 2025-04-22T00:42:00Z
• Authors: Ko-Han Shih; C. Kyle Renshaw
• Keywords: Physical optics; Geometrical optics

Metasurfaces (MSs) have emerged as a promising technology for optical system design. When combined with traditional refractive optics, MS-refractive hybrid lenses can enhance imaging performance, reduce aberrations, and introduce new functionalities such polarization control. However, modeling these requires advanced simulation techniques that usually go beyond conventional raytracing tools. This work presents physical optics framework lenses. We ray-wave method integrates multiple propagation to account vector wave through various elements. At the center of proposed is Gaussian decomposition beam optics. Ray-path diffraction automatically considered in this method, complex input wavefront be modeled well. Several are integrated ensure accuracy decomposing an incoming into beamlets, adaptive consideration local principal curvatures best-fit width estimation from covariance matrix. To demonstrate effectiveness our we apply it several lens designs, including polarization-sensitive MSs aberration-correcting systems.