Open AccessFrom parabolic-trough to metasurface-concentrator: assessing focusing in the wave-optics limit
Author(s) -
Li-Yi Hsu,
Matthieu Dupré,
Abdoulaye Ndao,
Boubacar Kanté
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
optics letters/optics index
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.524
H-Index - 272
eISSN - 1071-2763
pISSN - 0146-9592
DOI - 10.1364/ol.42.001520
Subject(s) - optics , concentrator , physical optics , geometrical optics , limit (mathematics) , fabrication , nonimaging optics , physics , tolerance analysis , computer science , engineering , mathematics , engineering drawing , medicine , mathematical analysis , alternative medicine , pathology
Metasurfaces are promising tools toward novel designs for flat optics applications. As such, their quality and tolerance to fabrication imperfections need to be evaluated with specific tools. However, most such tools rely on the geometrical optics approximation and are not straightforwardly applicable to metasurfaces. In this Letter, we introduce and evaluate for metasurfaces parameters such as intercept factor and slope error usually defined for solar concentrators in the realm of ray-optics. After proposing definitions valid in physical optics, we put forward an approach to calculate them. As examples, we design three different concentrators based on three specific unit cells and assess them numerically. The concept allows for comparison of the efficiency of the metasurfaces and their sensitivities to fabrication imperfections and will be critical for practical systems implementation.