Miniaturized GRIN Lenses Using 3D Printed Ceramics, BWAC Core Project
This project is conducted at NC State University.
This project at NC State will develop models and a design flow to move from a canonical lens design to a deformed one. The deformation is achieved with conformal and quasi-conformal transformation optics (QCTO) techniques. These methods substitute geometric deformations with material property variations. TO and QCTO transformations can achieve simple nearly isotropic material properties with only positive dielectric constants, avoiding the need for lossy, narrowband resonant metamaterials. Greater deformation requires greater range of material properties, such as high permittivity materials with spatially varying permittivity or gradient index (GRIN).
Sponsor
Broadband Wireless Access and Applications Center (BWAC) - Research Site at NCSU
The grant—running from October 1, 2021 to March 30, 2023—is for a total of $50,000.
Principle Investigators
Jacob James Adams
More Details
In this project, we will develop models and a design flow to move from a canonical lens design to a transformed lens of convenient form with gradient permittivity, appropriate discretized unit cells to emulate the desired permittivity, and full wave models of the entire collection of unit cells. To transform the lens shape, conformal and quasi-conformal transformation optics (QCTO) techniques will be investigated. These methods map geometric deformations into material property variations to achieve the same effect in the deformed structure. Under appropriate conditions, TO and QCTO transformations can produce simple nearly isotropic material properties requiring only positive dielectric constants. This avoids the need to create resonant metamaterials that tend to be lossy and narrowband. However, the greater the deformation, the greater the range of material properties required; thus, high permittivity materials with spatially varying permittivity or gradient index (GRIN) will be required.