Scalably manufactured high-index atomic layer-polymer hybrid metasurfaces for high-efficiency virtual reality metaoptics in the visible

Metalenses, which exhibit superior light-modulating performance with sub-micrometer-scale thicknesses, are suitable alternatives to conventional bulky refractive lenses. However, fabrication limitations, such as a high cost, low throughput, and small patterning area, hinder their mass production. Here, we demonstrate the mass production of low-cost, high-throughput, and large-aperture visible metalenses using an argon fluoride immersion scanner and wafer-scale nanoimprint lithography. Once a 12-inch master stamp is imprinted, hundreds of centimeter-scale metalenses can be fabricated. To enhance light confinement, the printed metasurface is thinly coated with a high-index film, resulting in drastic increase of conversion efficiency. As a proof of concept, a prototype of a virtual reality device with ultralow thickness is demonstrated with the fabricated metalens.