Consumer Electronics

From smartphones to laptops and wearables, vision is the most critical sensing modality and our multifunctional, metalens technology brings new dimensions and context to 3D vision systems and enables new generation of slimmer devices and consumer electronics.

NIR imaging and sensing solutions for ToF and Structured Light systems.

Smartphones, AR glasses, VR headsets, displays, wearables, tablets and laptops, Metalenz is proliferating new forms of advanced sensing across consumer devices with multifunctional, compact meta-optics. Get superior performance, gain space, simplify integration and reduce costs with metasurface optics (metalenses) on the front facing and world facing sides of the device. Win/win.

Rx and Tx Advantages of Metalens technology

On the world facing side (Rx) of camera systems, Metalenz meta-optics offer significant imaging advantages when compared to conventional lens stacks including; 4 to 1 lens reduction, 2x more light, and 40% noise reduction.

On the front facing side (Tx) of camera systems, Metalenz meta-optics offer significant illumination advantages when compared to conventional DOE modules including; Higher contrast ratio, wider field of illumination, and superior part to part repeatability.

Time of Flight (ToF)

Consumer electronics companies use ToF for world-facing cameras to create a 3D map of the environment that can be utilized for AR/VR, health and wellness, and shopping applications. Since the ToF system is active a significant amount of time, it reduces battery life. Meta-optics improve ToF signal-to-noise ratio, which can allow the system to maintain the same resolution with lower transmit power, which results in longer battery life.

Structured Light

Mobile device companies use structured light (SL) high resolution 3D sensing technology to enhance security by unlocking the phone when the owner’s face is recognized. SL is also used to enhance the functionality of the selfie camera. SL systems project a pattern of infrared light onto the user’s face and measure distortion in the return signal to obtain a 3D map of the face and confirm the user’s identity. Unfortunately, the face identification system does not always recognize the user’s face, especially if the user is in sunlight or is further from the phone. Meta-optics will play a key role in making face identification more robust.

SL projectors use light from VCSEL arrays to create a complex pattern of dots on its target. Typically, these dot patterns are projected by diffractive optics, however, it may require several lenses in addition to the diffractive. Meta-optics, with as few as a single element, can project dot patterns with superior performance to a diffractive optic. The advantages include higher efficiency, wider field of view, more dots, and better contrast. Metalenz technical benefits result in a face identification that works better, particularly when the person is further away from the phone or in sunlight.

Orion Pattern Projectors

Our metasurface technology is now in the market in STMicroelectronics FlightSense™ ToF products for consumer electronics.

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Benefits of Meta-optics

When compared to meta-optics (MOEs), diffractive optics (DOEs) exhibit substantially higher stray light and lower imaging performance at low f/# and across temperature.

4x improvement in signal to noise in 3D imaging systems.

Complete control over the intensity, phase, and polarization of light.

Multifunctional optics replace an entire set of refractive lenses, resulting in lower cost of integration and assembly.

Metalenses are fabricated with a single semiconductor layer for high yield, cost effective mass production.

Reflow compatible, extreme temperature stability.

Polarization Sensing Applications for Consumer Electronics

Learn more about PolarEyes

Meta-optics allow control over all properties of light, including phase, intensity and polarization. Conventional and Diffractive optics do not capture polarization information. Metalenz PolarEyes technology enables full polarization sensing fit for any form factor. This opens up a whole new set of applications in the consumer electronics including:

01

Biometric Authentication

As optical metasurfaces become integrated into sensing systems in the coming years, their first killer app will be improved facial recognition systems. Not only will these systems be more secure, but they will also be less expensive, which will increase access to advance sensing capabilities. By today’s estimates, at least a billion people have smartphones that lack secure facial recognition technology. Optical metasurfaces will democratize this technology and make true digital security available to everyone.

02

Remote Diagnostics

Today, patients need to visit a doctor in person for most kinds of examinations, but in the future it will be possible to use polarized imaging to snap a picture of a lesion or growth and send it to a doctor for analysis. Polarization optics are already widely used in the benchtop lab format to examine changes in diseased tissue. With PolarEyes, metasurface technology, expensive imaging technologies can be shrunk down and placed in a smartphone, leading to reduced costs of diagnostic testing and lower mortality rates by detecting diseases earlier.