Uchicago Argonne, LLC

David A Czaplewski

Daniel Lopez

Omar Daniel Lopez

Jeffrey R Guest

Dario Antonio

Damian H Zanette

Changyao Chen

Haogang Cai

Tapashree Roy

Sebastian I Arroyo

An optical device includes a titanium dioxide substrate layer on a quartz base of a substrate. The substrate is configured to focus light in visible wavelength spectrum of 400 nm to 700 nm. The substrate comprises a first zone and a second zone. In some embodiments, the first zone and the second zone are concentric circles. A plurality of resonators are disposed on the substrate, the plurality of resonators comprising a first plurality corresponding to the first zone and a second plurality corresponding to the second zone. Each resonator is comprised of a dielectric material with a defined thickness 't' in the range of 30 nm to 300 nm. Each resonator has a radius 'r' in the range of 30 nm to 300 nm and a gap &#x201c;g&#x201d; between adjacent resonators in the range of 5 nm to 200 nm. The first plurality of resonators in the first zone have a first radius within a first radius range that is different from a second radius range of the second plurality of resonators in the second zone. The plurality of resonators form a metasurface that defines at least in part an ultra-thin achromatic lens of the optical device.

Ultrathin, polarization-independent, achromatic metalens for focusing visible light

An optical device includes a nanostructured transparent dielectric film, which is a Huygens metasurface. The Huygens metasurface imparts a phase change to light propagating through or reflecting from the surface. The phase change can be achieved by means of a resonant interaction between light and the Huygens resonators, resulting in a controllable phase change of 0 to 2&#x3c0; with approximately 100% light transmission characterized by a below 0.1 dielectric loss tangent of delta and with the height of the resonators less than the wavelength of light. In one embodiment, the metasurface includes titanium dioxide, but many materials or stacks of different materials may be used. The optical device is functional throughout the visible spectrum between 380 and 700 nm. The nanostructured transparent dielectric film includes a plurality of Huygens resonators. The phase and the amplitude of the nanostructured transparent dielectric film are modulated by arranging the plurality of Huygens resonators such that certain properties, including the radius and height of each Huygens resonator, as well as the gap between two adjacent Huygens resonators, are controlled to optimize the performance of the optical device within the visible spectrum.

Ultra-flat optical device with high transmission efficiency

An autonomous oscillator synchronizes to an external harmonic force only when the forcing frequency lies within a certain interval, known as the synchronization range, around the oscillator's natural frequency. Under ordinary conditions, the width of the synchronization range decreases when the oscillation amplitude grows, which constrains synchronized motion of micro- and nano-mechanical resonators to narrow frequency and amplitude bounds. The present invention shows that nonlinearity in the oscillator can be exploited to manifest a regime where the synchronization range increases with an increasing oscillation amplitude. The present invention shows that nonlinearities in specific configurations of oscillator systems, as described herein, are the key determinants of the effect. The present invention presents a new configuration and operation regime that enhances the synchronization of micro- and nano-mechanical oscillators by capitalizing on their intrinsic nonlinear dynamics.

Nonlinearity induced synchronization enhancement in mechanical oscillators

This invention comprises a nonlinear micro- and nano-mechanical resonator that can maintain frequency of operation and amplitude of operation for a period of time after all external power has been removed from the device. Utilizing specific nonlinear dynamics of the micromechanical resonator, mechanical energy at low frequencies can be input and stored in higher frequencies modes, thus using the multiple degrees of freedom of the resonator to extend its energy storage capacity. Furthermore, the energy stored in multiple vibrational modes can be used to maintain the resonator oscillating for a fixed period of time, even without an external power supply. This is the first demonstration of an 'autonomous' frequency source that can maintain a constant frequency and vibrating amplitude when no external power is provided, making it ideal for applications requiring an oscillator in low power, or limited and intermittent power supplies.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

David A Czaplewski