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Metalenses for Ballistic Electrons: Toward Room-Temperature Electron Optics

  • Ruihuang Zhao
  • , Ling Zhou
  • , Xin Tong
  • , Jiaxin Wang
  • , Jinhu Luo
  • , Bing Wei
  • , Xiyuan Cao
  • , Junjie Du*
  • *Corresponding author for this work
  • East China Normal University
  • North University of China

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Quantum electron optics offers a promising route to transistors that manipulate ballistic electrons analogously to light. A key goal is a lens with full capabilities of focusing, imaging, and collimation, yet such a device has not been demonstrated in two-dimensional ballistic materials, limiting the realization of amplifiers for microscopic imaging and couplers or collimators in electrical circuits. Here, we theoretically realize a graphene metalens for ballistic electrons, implemented as a linear array of quantum dots. The design combines miniaturization, freedom from spherical aberration, subwavelength-resolution imaging, and near-perfect efficiency. Remarkably, the lens, compressed into a line, has a thickness far smaller than the room-temperature ballistic transport distance, enabling practical operation under ambient conditions. This work highlights emerging opportunities in quantum electron optics to create transistors capable of room-temperature operation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14896-14902
Number of pages7
JournalNano Letters
Volume25
Issue number41
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Oct 2025

Keywords

  • Electron metasurfaces
  • Metalenses for Dirac Fermions
  • Room-temperature operation
  • Spherical-aberration-free operation
  • Subwavelength resolution imaging

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