Samsung Electronics and POSTECH’s jointly researched ‘Achromatic Metalens’ technology has been published in the renowned journal Nature Materials. This research is considered an innovative achievement that overcomes the limitations of next-generation optical systems and contributes to the advancement of XR (Extended Reality) wearable devices and display technology.
Overcoming the limitations of conventional metalenses, the new technology realizes a wide field of view. Metalenses are flat lenses made up of nano-scale structures, which can drastically reduce the size and thickness compared to traditional convex lenses. However, practical application faced difficulties due to severe image distortion caused by chromatic aberration.
In this research, the team successfully developed an ‘achromatic metalens’ free from chromatic aberration. Previous research combined independently designed single meta-structures, while this team applied a new algorithm considering the interaction between structures to completely eliminate chromatic aberration.
The achromatic metalens produced with this method can enlarge the lens size by 3 to 5 times while maintaining a thin thickness and providing a wide field of view. Additionally, it simultaneously improves the lens’s focal strength and image quality.
Combination with holographic displays enables low-fatigue, high-quality video. Typically, as screens grow larger, image distortion increases, necessitating the use of several lenses for correction. However, the team succeeded in resolving various optical aberrations, including spherical aberration and distortion, along with chromatic aberration, by combining a single achromatic metalens with a holographic display.
This technology, capable of implementation in a lighter and smaller structure compared to existing optical lenses, can reduce eye fatigue while providing clear virtual images. It is expected to contribute to performance enhancement and miniaturization in various optical systems, including XR devices, general displays, cameras, and sensors.
The research was led by Dr. Mun Seok-il of Samsung Research at Samsung Electronics and Professor No Joon-seok of POSTECH, with POSTECH researchers Choi Min-seok, Kim Joo-hoon, and Shin Gil-soo participating as co-first authors. Through this research, Samsung Electronics confirmed the possibilities for developing next-generation display technology and optical systems, and plans to lead innovative technologies through continued academia-industry collaborations.
The research paper titled “Roll-to-plate printable RGB-achromatic metalens for wide-field-of-view holographic near-eye displays” has been published in Nature Materials, and this research is expected to play an important role in the advancement of next-generation XR devices and high-performance optical technologies.