Epsilon-near-zero meta-lens for high resolution wide-field imaging

Herein, we will propose a new application possibility of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials: high resolution wide-field imaging. We show that the resolution can be dramatically enhanced by simply inserting a thin epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material between the sample and substrate. By performing metal half-plane imaging, we experimentally demonstrate that the resolution could be enhanced by about 47% with a 300-nm-thick SiO₂ interlayer, an ENZ material at 8-μm-wavelength (1250 cm^-1). The physical origin of the resolution enhancement is the strong conversion of diffracted near fields to quasi-zeroth order far fields enabled by the directive emission of ENZ materials.