Flatter Optics Could Be What ‘Thinner’ Mobile Phones Need

By now everyone has heard the intent of most mobile phone companies like Apple and Samsung to make smartphones thinner. Both have tried to go about it by taking out some traditional parts.

An example of such comes from Apple with the reported iteration of the 3.5 mm jack. The move allegedly contributes to the intent of coming up with a thinner iPhone though many are not too thrilled about it since it makes the traditional earphones/ headphones useless.

Samsung is likely to do something as well with its new devices, starting perhaps with the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 which is expected to come this August. But are these two tech giants doing the right thing?

Had the two waited a bit longer then this new breakthrough involving optics would have helped. A new optics referred to as “metalenses” could be the key towards making smartphones thinner, a feature that could touch on the mobile phone cameras.

Federico Capasso of Harvard University believes that these will be the game-changers technology would need though it is not limited to mobile phone cameras. It could involve binoculars, actual cameras or even telescopes. The possibilities are simply endless.

“Our lenses, being planar, can be fabricated in the same foundries that make computer chips. So all of a sudden the factories that make integrated circuits can make our lenses,” said Capasso, the senior author of the report.

The beauty of these so-called “metalenses” is that they do not compromise the quality of captured images, which should be another bright spot for big tech companies aching to come up with thinner devices. And the lenses can be manufactured to satisfy whatever companies would require.

“Once you have the foundry – you want a 12-inch lens? Feel free, you can make a 12-inch lens. There’s no limit,” adds Capasso.