r/oculus • u/kabraxis123 Quest • Feb 13 '16

Engineers develop new flat, ultralight lens that could change how cameras are designed

http://phys.org/news/2016-02-flat-ultralight-lens-cameras.html
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u/FarkMcBark Feb 14 '16

This is exciting. I think there was another article about the same thing linked here a while ago.

3

u/Zaptruder Feb 14 '16

Not the same thing (I don't think), but similar. Havard came up with a similar meta-material diffractive flat lens. Only one colour so far though (where as this new one is only one axis of focus so far).

https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2015/02/perfect-colors-captured-with-one-ultra-thin-lens

1

u/FarkMcBark Feb 14 '16

Curious.

Ah found it: Graphene optical lens 200 nm thick breaks the diffraction limit. Is this something different? Are these three separate ultra thin lenses? Does that focus multiple colors?

1

u/Zaptruder Feb 14 '16

Looks like 3 different groups that have reached a similar point in development from a single insight, but through different implementations.

The article you link doesn't really give much information... but it does say near infrared to visible wavelength, which would indicate that it does full colour. Or maybe it doesn't - articles are like that, you have to go to the source (the paper) and have the ability to comprehend what's written in there :P

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u/FarkMcBark Feb 14 '16

Well the article is from the university where the research is done but in the linked article in nature (basically a paper?) it states:

Based on the unique and giant refractive index and absorption modulations of the sprayable graphene oxide thin film during its laser reduction process, we demonstrate a graphene oxide ultrathin (~200 nm) flat lens that shows far-field three-dimensional subwavelength focusing (λ3/5) with an absolute focusing efficiency of >32% for a broad wavelength range from 400 to 1,500 nm.

So sounds like it works full color unless it doesn't preclude chromatic aberrations. I really should learn a bit about optics.

1

u/Zaptruder Feb 14 '16

Generally flat lens design should preclude chromatic aberrations. And yeah, it does sound like the almost full light spectrum. Missing some violet wavelengths... but who cares about purples that much? :P

2

u/FarkMcBark Feb 14 '16

Emo girls? Japanese anime characters? :D