Application of a space compressing optic to sensors, Phase 1

所有的光学设备，从普通的（例如，照相机和望远镜）到那些处于前沿的（例如，生物特征扫描仪或基于LIDAR的距离检测器）包含透镜和传感器的某种组合。为了使透镜在所有这些应用中发挥作用，它们需要一个空的空间区域来让光传播并形成图像。不幸的是，该空间区域大到足以显著增加这些许多设备的总尺寸，从而阻止它们被并入到移动的设备中。 我们的团队已经开发出一种称为空间板的新光学元件，可以添加到透镜系统中，以压缩这些空区域的大小。迄今为止，我们设计的概念验证型空间板具有超过300的令人印象深刻的压缩系数。例如，具有此压缩因子的空间板将在仅7.5微米厚的板中挤压2.5 mm的空间。此外，这些最初的设计工作在商业电信使用的实际光波长1550 nm。 在这里，我们建议调整我们的空间板技术，以适应与LIDAR应用中使用的技术规格相关的技术规格，例如距离探测器;和生物识别扫描仪，包括指纹扫描仪和虹膜扫描仪。首先，这些器件都在近红外波长（900 nm）下工作，需要完全重新设计一套具有不同光学特性的新兼容材料。此外，它们可在指定的角度范围（NA < 0.1）和波长带宽（< 40 nm）以及固定偏振下工作。我们的重新设计将纳入所有这些要求，使我们的想法更接近商业化。我们将制造和表征这些设计，以验证我们的设备。 我们的工作结果将有助于使上述设备小型化，生产更轻，更紧凑的基于激光雷达的距离探测器和生物识别扫描仪。这些设备将为智能手机和笔记本电脑提供更安全的身份验证功能，并为自动驾驶汽车（包括自动驾驶汽车、建筑设备和机器人车辆）提供更多传感器。

All optical devices, ranging from common ones (e.g., cameras and telescopes) to those on the cutting edge (e.g., biometric scanners or range-detectors based on LIDAR), contain some combination of lenses and sensors. For lenses to function in all of these applications, they require a region of empty space for light to travel and form images. Unfortunately, this region of space is large enough to significantly increase the total size of these many devices, precluding them from being incorporated into mobile devices. Our team has developed a new optical element called a spaceplate that can be added to lens systems to compress the size of these empty regions. The proof-of-concept spaceplates we have designed thus far have impressive compression factors exceeding 300. For example, a spaceplate with this compression factor will squeeze 2.5 mm of space into a plate only 7.5 microns thick. Moreover, these initial designs operate at a practical optical wavelength, 1550nm, used by commercial telecommunications. Here, we propose to adapt our spaceplate technology for the specifications relevant to those used in LIDAR applications, such as range-detectors; and biometric scanners, including fingerprint scanners and iris scanners. First, these devices all operate at near-infrared wavelengths (900 nm), necessitating a complete redesign for a new set of compatible materials with different optical properties. In addition, they operate for a specified range of angles (NA < 0.1) and wavelength bandwidth (< 40 nm) and for a fixed polarization. Our redesign will incorporate all of these requirements to bring our idea closer to commercialization. We will fabricate and characterize these designs to validate our devices. The results of our work will help to miniaturize the devices described above, producing lighter, more compact LIDAR-based range-detectors and biometric scanners. These devices will lead to more secure authentication capabilities on smartphones and laptops and more sensors on autonomous vehicles, including self-driving cars, construction equipment, and robotic vehicles.