A lightweight stacked optical waveguide using two plastic substrates having nano-structure gratings and a single glass substrate sandwiched between them. The nano-structure gratings face each other, and are each encapsulated within the optical waveguide. The two plastic substrates are each adhesively secured to the central glass substrate rather than to each other to provide sufficient securing strength and precisely establish and maintain an air gap between the substrates. The thickness of the plastic substrates and the glass substrate are selected such that the stacked optical waveguide is lightweight, but also has sufficient drop performance. The stacked optical waveguide can be efficiently manufactured as the adhesive bonds a plastic substrate to a glass substrate.

An optical component includes a phase diffraction grating and an amplitude diffraction grating. The phase diffraction grating includes a center concave section and a plurality of ring stages. The ring stages surround the center concave section. The center concave section and the ring stages form a cavity, where a light source is disposed in the cavity and emits the light to the optical component. Each of the ring stages has a stage surface. Each of the stage surfaces includes a plurality of ring microstructures arranged in concentric circles. The widths of each ring microstructure in at least one of the ring stages are less than the quarter wavelength of the light. The amplitude diffraction grating includes a center convex section and a plurality of ring parts. The center convex section and the center concave section are aligned. The ring parts surround the central convex section.

It is provided an assembly including an optical material layer composed of a metal oxide, an underlying layer provided over the optical material layer and composed of a metal or a metal silicide, and a resin layer provided over the underlying layer. A mold including a design pattern corresponding with the fine pattern to the resin layer of the assembly to transcript the design pattern to the resin layer. The resin layer and underlying layer are etched to form an opening in the resin layer and underlying layer to expose the optical material layer through the opening. The optical material layer is etched using the underlying layer as a mask to form the fine pattern in the optical material layer.

A bricked sub-wavelength periodic waveguide and a modal adapter, power divider and polarization splitter that use the waveguide. The waveguide includes blocks disposed periodically with a period “L.sub.z” on a substrate and which alternate with a covering material. The first blocks have a width “a.sub.x” and the second blocks have a width “b.sub.x”, alternating on the substrate according to a period “L.sub.x”, the second blocks being shifted a distance “d.sub.z” the first blocks in the direction of propagation. A modal adapter, a power divider and a polarization splitter all use the periodic waveguide and can operate with larger wave periods without leaving the sub-wavelength regime.

The present application discloses a beam combining device, which includes a reflective diffractive grating surface configured to combine a first, a second and a third incident light beam having different colors to a single diffracted mixed-color light beam when impinging on the reflective diffractive grating surface, wherein a profile of the grating surface is configured according to an optimization criterion with respect to a diffraction efficiency.

Provided are a polarizing plate having excellent optical characteristics, and a method for manufacturing the polarizing plate. The present invention is provided with: a translucent substrate through which light passes in a working band; a bundle structure layer constituted of a columnar sheaf comprising one or more material from among dielectrics, metals, and semiconductors, the bundle structure layer being formed on the translucent substrate; an absorption layer formed on the bundle structure layer; a dielectric layer formed on the absorption layer; and a reflection layer formed on the dielectric layer and arranged as a one-dimensional lattice at a pitch that is smaller than the wavelength of the light in the working band. Because the bundle structure layer increases light absorption and light scattering, the result is that reflectivity can be reduced and excellent optical characteristics obtained.

The techniques of this disclosure relate to a system for adjusting a focus of an image. A system includes a phased metalens configured to adjust a focus of an image detected by an imaging substrate of an image sensor to compensate for warpage of the imaging substrate. The phased metalens can achieve a near-diffraction-limited focusing over incoming light wavelengths using precisely defined nanoscale subwavelength resolution structures.

Provided are meta illuminators. The meta illuminators according to embodiments include a first light emitter configured to emit pattern light, and a second light emitter configured to emit non-patterned light, wherein the first and second light emitters forms a single body. The first and second light emitters respectively include meta-surfaces that are different from each other, and the different meta-surfaces may be formed on a single material layer. The first light emitter includes a pattern region that transmits a portion of incident light, and the second light emitter does not include the pattern region. A mask may be arranged between the light source and the transparent substrate.

A method to remove selected parts of a thin-film material otherwise uniformly deposited over a template is disclosed. The methods rely on a suitable potting material to encapsulate and snatch the deposited material on apexes of the template. The process may yield one and/or two devices during a single process step: (i) thin-film material(s) with micro- and/or nano-perforations defined by the shape of template apexes, and (ii) micro- and/or nano-particles shaped and positioned in the potting material by the design of the template apexes. The devices made from this method may find applications in fabrication of mechanical, chemical, electrical and optical devices.

An optical element includes a substrate, an intermediate layer, a topmost layer, and a contiguous multitude of recessed and non-recessed areal regions. The intermediate layer is formed over a top surface of the substrate and has a refractive index n.sub.I. The topmost layer is formed directly on the intermediate layer and has a refractive index n.sub.T where n.sub.T≠n.sub.I. The intermediate and topmost layers are substantially transparent over an operational wavelength range that includes a design wavelength λ.sub.0. A subset of areal regions has a largest transverse dimension less than about λ.sub.0. Each non-recessed areal region includes corresponding portions of the intermediate and topmost layers. Each recessed areal region extends entirely through the topmost layer and at least partly through the intermediate layer. A fill medium fills the recessed areal regions. The areal regions are variously sized and distributed transversely across the optical element.