ROTATIONALLY SHIFT INVARIANT AND MULTI-LAYERED MICROLENS ARRAY

摘要

A rotationally shift invariant and multi-layered array system for full-field of view and/or photon collection by 4pi steradian field of view. In the system, all of the incoming light (i.e., light from all directions), in a solid angle of 4pi steradians, is focused inside the optics. The optics have a spherically shift invariant structure, providing rotational shift invariance. The system comprises a nontraditional use of the Gabor Superlen and is a configuration of multiple microlens array shell structures with concentrically arranged bulk optical components. Examples of such bulk optical components include Luneburg lenses, micro-structured surfaces, a single lens, a plurality of single lenses, ball lenses, metalenses, diffractive optical elements, and magnetic lenses. In an embodiment, the Gabor Superlens (i.e., microlens array) is planar. In an embodiment, no moving parts are required for the system to achieve truly full-field of view imaging and/or photon collection by 4pi steradian field of view.