Metasurface optics for imaging applications

The development of optical elements has seen tremendous advances over the last few decades for a variety of applications, including displays, cameras, and microscopes. Various optical elements have been developed, ranging from refractive elements to diffractive elements. In recent years, metasurfaces have been in the spotlight to develop next-generation optical elements beyond existing refractive or diffractive optics. A metasurface is a two-dimensional metamaterial composed of subwavelength artificial structures and has been studied for the development of optical elements with the major advantage that the properties of light can be freely adjusted by a thin flat structure. Optical lenses using metasurfaces can be hundreds of times thinner than conventional lenses, while at the same time, provide excellent focusing performance. This suggests that they can be applied to mobile and high-performance imaging applications in the future. Here, we discuss developments of optical elements from refractive or diffractive optics to metasurface optics, including basic principles and properties, current issues, and future perspectives.