New Perspectives in Micro-Nano Optical Design and Manufacturing

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 803

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Intelligent Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410003, China
Interests: precision manufacturing; micro-nano optics; defect inspection; optical design; illumination design; visible light communication; machine vision; image processing
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Guest Editor
School of Physics, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Interests: metasurface; surface wave; surface plasmon polaritons; unidirectional waveguide; unidirectional surface magnetoplasmons
School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China
Interests: fringe projection profilometry; image highlight suppression; optical freeform lens; illumination design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the domain of micro-nano optical design and manufacturing has witnessed remarkable progress, fueled by a surging need for sophisticated optical systems across diverse applications. The advent of innovative materials, groundbreaking fabrication methodologies, and advanced computational frameworks has empowered researchers to venture into uncharted territories of optical engineering. This special issue, "New Perspectives in Micro-Nano Optical Design and Manufacturing" aims to illuminate the cutting-edge research and transformative developments within this vibrant field, emphasizing novel concepts, methodologies, and practical implementations. The focal points of this special issue encompass but extend beyond: Advanced Material, nanofabrication techniques, integrated photonic devices, novel optical systems & applications, structural optimization, metasurface design, Metalens design, etc.

We invite original research articles, comprehensive review papers, and theoretical studies that contribute fresh insights and push the boundaries of what's possible in micro-nano optical design and manufacturing. Both experimental validations and simulation-driven investigations are encouraged, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of this rapidly evolving field. This collection is intended not only to consolidate current knowledge but also to catalyze future innovations, foster cross-disciplinary collaborations, and chart new directions for the global scientific community engaged in advancing micro-nano optical technologies. We look forward to your contributions that will shape the discourse and drive progress in this exciting frontier of optical science and engineering.

Sincerely,

Dr. Xing Peng
Dr. Shiqing Li
Dr. Xiang Sun
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • design and optimization of optical meta-surface
  • novel applications of meta-surface
  • metalenes
  • precision measurements and metrology
  • manufacturing technology
  • optical design
  • machine learning
  • AR/VR
  • advanced material
  • integrated photonic devices
  • machine vision
  • freeform design

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 4584 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Fused Silica Exit Surface Damage by Low-Temporal Coherence Light Irradiation
by Chong Shan, Ping Han, Erxi Wang, Fujian Li, Xiaohui Zhao, Huamin Kou, Dapeng Jiang, Qinghui Wu, Xing Peng, Penghao Xu, Yafei Lian, Yuanan Zhao, Liangbi Su, Zhan Sui and Yanqi Gao
Photonics 2025, 12(5), 432; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12050432 - 30 Apr 2025
Abstract
Laser-induced exit surface damage of fused silica is a key bottleneck for its application in high-power laser devices. As low-temporal coherence light (LTCL) has garnered increasing attention for high-power laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, understanding LTCL-induced exit surface damage of fused silica becomes crucial [...] Read more.
Laser-induced exit surface damage of fused silica is a key bottleneck for its application in high-power laser devices. As low-temporal coherence light (LTCL) has garnered increasing attention for high-power laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, understanding LTCL-induced exit surface damage of fused silica becomes crucial for improving the output power capability of LTCL devices. In this study, we characterized damage on the exit surface of fused silica under LTCL irradiation and investigated the physical mechanism of temporal coherence affecting the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). The relationship between defect information and temporal coherence was explored using a defect analysis model, and the defect damage process and response to each incident lasers were captured using time-resolved methods and artificially fabricated defects. We elucidate the physical mechanism behind the lower LIDT under LTCL irradiation compared to single longitudinal mode (SLM) pulse lasers. This study not only provides the boundary condition for safe fused silica operation in high-power LTCL devices but also offers deeper insight into the physical properties of LTCL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Micro-Nano Optical Design and Manufacturing)
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22 pages, 11551 KiB  
Article
Adaptive Freeform Optics Design and Multi-Objective Genetic Optimization for Energy-Efficient Automotive LED Headlights
by Shaohui Xu, Xing Peng and Ci Song
Photonics 2025, 12(4), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12040388 - 16 Apr 2025
Viewed by 253
Abstract
In addressing the design imperatives of automotive headlight miniaturization and energy conservation, this paper puts forth a design methodology for vehicle lighting systems that is predicated on free surface optics and an intelligent optimization algorithm. The establishment of the energy mapping relationship between [...] Read more.
In addressing the design imperatives of automotive headlight miniaturization and energy conservation, this paper puts forth a design methodology for vehicle lighting systems that is predicated on free surface optics and an intelligent optimization algorithm. The establishment of the energy mapping relationship between the light source surface and the target surface is predicated on relevant performance standards. The numerical calculation is then integrated with MATLAB R2022a to obtain the free-form surface coordinate points and establish a three-dimensional model. To optimize the parameter design, a genetic algorithm is employed to fine-tune the design parameter θmax, thereby attaining the optimal θmax that strikes a balance between volume and luminous efficiency. The experimental results demonstrate that by integrating the optimal incidence angle into the design of the high beam and low beam, the final simulation results show that the optical efficiency of the low beam is 88.89%, and the optical efficiency of the high beam is 89.40%. This enables the automotive headlamp system to achieve a balance between volume and luminous efficiency. The free-form lamp design framework proposed in this study provides a reference for the compact design and intelligent optimization of the lamp system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Micro-Nano Optical Design and Manufacturing)
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20 pages, 5899 KiB  
Article
Defect Detection Method for Large-Curvature and Highly Reflective Surfaces Based on Polarization Imaging and Improved YOLOv11
by Zeyu Yu, Dongyun Wang and Hanyang Wu
Photonics 2025, 12(4), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12040368 - 11 Apr 2025
Viewed by 244
Abstract
In industrial manufacturing, product quality is of paramount importance, as surface defects not only compromise product appearance but may also lead to functional failures, resulting in substantial economic losses. Detecting defects on complex surfaces remains a significant challenge due to the variability of [...] Read more.
In industrial manufacturing, product quality is of paramount importance, as surface defects not only compromise product appearance but may also lead to functional failures, resulting in substantial economic losses. Detecting defects on complex surfaces remains a significant challenge due to the variability of defect characteristics, interference from specular reflections, and imaging non-uniformity. Traditional computer vision algorithms often fall short in addressing these challenges, particularly for defects on highly reflective curved surfaces such as aircraft engine blades, bearing surfaces, or vacuum flasks. Although various optical imaging techniques and advanced detection algorithms have been explored, existing approaches still face limitations, including high system complexity, elevated costs, and insufficient capability to detect defects with diverse morphologies. To address these limitations, this study proposes an innovative approach that analyzes the propagation of light on complex surfaces and constructs a polarization imaging system to eliminate glare interference. This imaging technique not only effectively suppresses glare but also enhances image uniformity and reduces noise levels. Moreover, to tackle the challenges posed by the diverse morphology of defects and the limited generalization ability of conventional algorithms, this study introduces a novel multi-scale edge information selection module and a Focal Modulation module based on the YOLOv11 architecture. These enhancements significantly improve the model’s generalization capability across different defect types. Experimental results show that, compared to state-of-the-art object detection models, the proposed model achieves a 3.9% increase in precision over the best-performing baseline, along with notable improvements in recall, mAP50, and other key performance indicators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Micro-Nano Optical Design and Manufacturing)
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