Breaking the Paradigm of Stacking: A Minimalist Infrared Detection System Based on Meta-Composite Design with Athermalized Performance

Breaking the Paradigm of Stacking: A Minimalist Infrared Detection System Based on Meta-Composite Design with Athermalized Performance | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Breaking the Paradigm of Stacking: A Minimalist Infrared Detection System Based on Meta-Composite Design with Athermalized Performance Xiangang Luo, Ningrui Xiao, He Lin, Yuyao Wang, Yingchi Lin, Guo Chen, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8804651/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Hybrid meta-refractive systems offer an achievable path to overcome the multiple bottlenecks in the compatible regulation of metalens field of view (FOV), bandwidth, and efficiency. However, existing designs typically rely on the paradigm of spatial stacking, still facing immense challenges in achieving a minimalist architecture (≤2 elements) and passive wide-range athermalization. Here, a novel design concept integrating subwavelength meta-atoms with micro-curved surfaces is proposed for joint aberration suppression, effectively breaking the conventional stacking paradigm. An inverse-design-based cross-scale vectorial field mapping (CVFM) method is employed to realize a meta-composite optical system (MCOS) featuring broadband, wide FOV, high resolution, and athermalization over a wide temperature range. By employing a conformal manifold composite phase (CMCP) architecture, the system achieves near-diffraction-limited imaging performance across the 8~12μm range and maintains a focal shift within ±6.7 μm over a temperature span of -40°C to 60°C. Furthermore, a pioneering analysis of the fitting errors between meta-atoms and micro-curved surfaces is conducted, filling a critical gap in providing guidelines for the practical development of MCOS. Upon integration into an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)platform, the MCOS exhibits superior real-world imaging performance. In a distinctive advancement, an athermalization validation was performed, which substantially strengthens the robustness of imaging quality across high and low temperatures. This work offers a valuable paradigm for the revolution in integrated optics and the deployment of minimalist optical systems. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures/Metamaterials Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical physics/Sub-wavelength optics Full Text Additional Declarations There is no conflict of interest Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.docx Supplementary Information: Breaking the Paradigm of Stacking: A Minimalist Infrared Detection System Based on Meta-Composite Design with Athermalized Performance Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8804651","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":601641568,"identity":"b4161759-6d6e-41ef-9893-da2976bcd9b3","order_by":0,"name":"Xiangang 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