Hybrid meta/refractive lens design with an inverse design using physical optics

Hybrid lenses are created by combining metasurface optics with refractive optics, where refractive elements contribute optical power, while metasurfaces correct optical aberrations. We present an algorithm for optimizing metasurface nanostructures within a hybrid lens, allowing flexible interleaving of metasurface and refractive optics in the optical train. To efficiently optimize metasurface nanostructures, we develop a scalar field, ray-wave hybrid propagation method. This method facilitates the propagation of incident and derived adjoint fields through optical elements, enabling effective metasurface optimization within the framework of adjoint gradient optimization. Numerical examples of various lens configurations are presented to illustrate the versatility of the algorithm and showcase the benefits offered by the proposed approach, allowing metasurfaces to be positioned beyond the image space of a lens. Taking a F/2, 40° field-of-view, midwave infrared lens as an example, the lens exhibits an average focusing efficiency of 38% before the integration of metasurfaces. Utilizing the new algorithm to design two metasurfaces-one in the object space and one in the image space-results in significant enhancement of the average focusing efficiency to over 90%. In contrast, a counterpart design with both metasurfaces limited to the image space yields a lower average focusing efficiency of 73%.