Scientists Create the World’s Thinnest Lens, Just Three Atoms Thick
Physicists from the University of Amsterdam and Stanford University have developed the thinnest flat lens ever created. It is just 0.0000006 millimeters thick — approximately three atoms. The innovative development could open up new possibilities for creating lightweight augmented-reality glasses and compact optical devices.
Unlike traditional curved lenses, which focus light through refraction, the new lens operates on the principle of diffraction. Scientists made it from tungsten disulfide, forming microscopic concentric rings with gaps in the material. Thanks to the material’s quantum properties, the lens efficiently absorbs and re-emits light, directing part of it into a clear point of focus.
The device’s key feature is that most of the incoming light passes through it unchanged. This allows a person to see the surrounding world clearly while simultaneously receiving graphical information or digital data superimposed on the image.
According to the researchers, whose findings were published in the journal Nano Letters, the invention is ideally suited for smart glasses and wearable electronics of the future, where maintaining optical transparency without increasing the size and weight of the device is essential.
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