Researchers propose 'spaceplates' to miniaturize lenses by reducing air gaps

The addition of the spaceplate reduces the distance needed between the lens element and the sensor, thus allowing smaller lenses A lot of work has been done using high refractive index glasses, diffraction grating systems and lens element design to reduce the size of camera lenses, but a group of researchers are now targeting the air-space between those elements in a bid to create miniaturized optical systems. The team from the University of Ottawa proposes inserting what they call 'spaceplates'...