Super-resolution imaging of negative-refractive graded-index photonic crystal flat lens

Photonic crystal (PC) not only breaks through the diffraction limit of traditional lenses but also can realize super-resolution imaging. Improving the resolution is the key task of PC imaging. The main work of this paper is to use a graded-index Photonic crystal (GPC) flat lens to improve the image resolution. An air-hole type two-dimensional (2D) GPC structure based on silicon medium is proposed in this paper. Numerical simulations through RSoft reveal that when the medium in the imaging area is air, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) value of a single image reaches 0.362λ. According to the Rayleigh criterion, the images of two point sources 0.57λ apart can also be distinguished. In the imaging system composed of cedar oil and GPC flat lens, the FWHM value of a single image reaches 0.34λ. In addition, the images of multiple point sources 0.49λ apart can still be distinguished.

Frequency Tunable Phononic Crystal Flat Lens for Subwavelength Imaging

In this paper, we present a thickness-contrast based flat lens for subwavelenth imaging in an aluminum plate. The lens is made of phononic crystal (PC) with a triangular lattice arrangement of through holes drilled over an aluminum plate. Subwave-length imaging is achieved by exploiting the concept of negative refraction of A0 plate mode for the optical dispersion branch of the PC. The wavenumbers are matched at a design frequency by creating a step change in the thickness of the PC-lens and host plate. The thickness-contrast results in refractive index of minus one at the interface of the lens and host plate. Negative refraction-based lens overcomes the diffraction limit and enables focusing of flexural waves in an area less than a square wavelength. We validate the flat lens design at a single design frequency through numerical simulations and experiments. Further, we numerically demonstrate the tunability of the lens design over a broadband frequency range by modifying the thickness-contrast between the lens and host plate. The proposed frequency tunable design is promising for many applications such as ultrasonic inspection, tetherless energy transfer, and energy harvesting, where the localization of wave energy in a small spot is desirable.