Metalenses have revolutionized the way we control visible and infrared light, with numerous applications in research and technology. However, it has been challenging to use them for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light, which has much smaller wavelengths (around 50 nanometers) compared to visible light (400 to 700 nanometers). Since EUV light is absorbed by all materials, traditional lenses cannot bend and control it.

In this groundbreaking discovery, we have found that tiny holes in silicon can guide EUV light in a vacuum. This enables us to change the properties of EUV light on a tiny scale without it being absorbed. Using this technique, our team successfully created the first metalens for 50 nm wavelength EUV light. This innovative design was developed by our researchers, made at the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems, and tested using extremely short bursts of EUV light at the Graz University of Technology.

For more information, check out the original article in Science (https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adg6881), a Phys.org article and one by Physics Today, and the Harvard SEAS release. The TU Graz press release is here.