Ansys and Moxtek have collaborated to offer a Process Design Kit (PDK) for metalens design and fabrication. This Moxtex/Ansys Meta-optics PDK is accessible online on Moxtek’s website: Metalens Foundry Service | Visible and IR Wavelengths | Moxtek. It provides an experimentally validated toolset that helps designers to efficiently model advanced metasurfaces for fabrication using the Moxtek process. This PDK includes pre-designed meta-atom libraries, Ansys Lumerical and Zemax OpticStudio project files for metalens simulation, and a step-by-step instruction guide.
Overview of the Moxtek Meta-atom Library
The PDK includes a set of files developed by Ansys and Moxtek to expedite metalens modeling and fabrication using validated meta-atom libraries. The meta-atom libraries consider meta-atom material properties, thickness, and minimum feature size. Users of Ansys Lumerical and Zemax OpticStudio can design with confidence, knowing that their design utilizes a validated set parameters and process rules, increasing first-pass success in physical fabrication at Moxtek nano-foundry.
Each meta-atom library corresponds to a specific operating wavelength. Currently the available target wavelengths are 532 nm (green) and 633 nm (red), with plans to support additional wavelengths in the future. For the latest capabilities, please see the Moxtek website.
Using the Moxtek Meta-optics PDK
The Moxtek Meta Optics PDK has been developed for the Ansys metalens workflow, Large-Scale Metalens – Ray Propagation – Ansys Optics with Ansys Lumerical and Zemax OpticStudio.
The typical metalens design process involves:
- Generate a library of meta-atoms using Ansys Lumerical FDTD with RCWA solver or FDTD solver.
- Define a target phase profile.
- Map the meta-atom unit cells from the library onto the target phase profile.
- Validate the metalens optical performance in Zemax OpticStudio.
With the provided PDK, the meta-atom library (step 1) is already prepared as a Hierarchical Data File HDF5 (.h5) file. Therefore, you only need only to define the target phase profile and run the associated Lumerical script file (.lsf) to generate files for fabrication and validation in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio.
A template Zemax OpticStudio file is provided to define the target phase profile. The metalens is represented by a surface with coefficients describing a phase profile that can be optimized for the desired performance. Next, a Lumerical script is used to prepare the meta-atom layout, saved as a HDF5 file, from the provided meta-atom library and target phase profile. This completed layout file is then imported to Zemax OpticStudio to simulate the metalens with Moxtek meta-atom specifications. Complete written instructions are included with the PDK files.
While the meta-atom library is designed for a specific target wavelength, the validation workflow supports analysis at multiple wavelengths (and also multiple angles of incidence). Therefore, while the design is optimal for a particular wavelength, the performance of the optical system can be simulated for several wavelengths in Zemax OpticStudio. For more details on the simulation methodology, please see Large-Scale Metalens – Ray Propagation – Ansys Optics.
About Moxtek
Moxtek is a leading supplier of advanced nano-optical and X-ray components for display electronics, imaging, and analytical instrumentation. Core technologies include nanolithography, thin film processing, and fine pattern etching. Moxtek has a foundry service that manufactures high-performance metalenses for visible and IR wavelengths.
Additional Resources
- T. Leportier, D. Bacon-Brown, D. McGuire, S. Gangadhara, B. Williams, M. George, A. Reid, "Novel workflow for metalens optical system design, simulation, and manufacture," Proc. SPIE 13373, Photonic Instrumentation Engineering XII, 133730R (2025). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3040737
- On-demand webinar: Ansys Optics Virtual Deep Dive: Advancing Metalens Design
See also
Introduction to metalens workflows – Ansys Optics
Large-Scale Metalens – Ray Propagation – Ansys Optics
How to model diffractive optics using the Binary 2 surface – Ansys Optics