Reconfigurable Integrated Thermo-Optics for Aberration Correction

As miniaturization becomes a growing trend in optical systems, the ability to precisely manipulate wavefronts within micrometric pupils becomes crucial. Extensive efforts to develop integrated micro-optics primarily led to tunable microlenses. Among these approaches, <i>SmartLenses</i>, which use predesigned microheaters to locally change the refractive index in a transparent thermo-optical material, allow to produce tunable micro-optics with free-form shape. However, the shape and sign of the generated wavefront profile are fixed, predetermined by the geometry of the resistor, which severely limits its use, e.g., for aberration correction. Here, we report a precise reconfigurability of the generated wavefront through dynamic shaping of the temperature distribution, enabled by an independent control of concentric resistors. As a proof of principle, we demonstrate a bimodal <i>SmartLens</i> that simultaneously acts as a converging/diverging lens and a positive/negative spherical aberration corrector. Through independent control of Zernike modes, this approach paves the way for compact, broadband, transparent and polarization-insensitive wavefront shapers, with a broad range of potential applications, from endoscopy to information technology.