Monocrystalline silicon metasurfaces enabled aperture-robust reconstructive spectrometer for visible light

In contrast to conventional grating-based spectrometers, reconstructive spectrometers based on spectrally engineered filtering offer a notable advantage in terms of miniaturization due to reduced requirements for dispersive optics and free propagation space. Nevertheless, existing reconstructive spectrometers encounter challenges in optimizing operational bandwidth, reconstruction fidelity, and angular stability concurrently. Here, we introduce a compact spectrometer employing dielectric metasurfaces, designed to operate across a broad bandwidth spanning 400–800 nm with high aperture stability. Experimental validation demonstrates the capability of accurately reconstructing incident hyperspectral signals, focused by a lens with varying F-numbers between F/1.8 and F/8, with elevated fidelity. The compatible optical prototype highlights the potential for constructing broadband, high accuracy, integrated hyperspectral cameras.