Wafer-Scale Near-Infrared Metalenses With High Performance and Low Cost.

Refractive optics, now over two centuries old and highly mature, remains the cornerstone of optical systems in rapidly growing fields such as robotics and smart sensing, yet has reached its fundamental physical limits. Ultra-thin metalenses hold transformative potential for next-generation optics, yet their widespread adoption is severely impeded by the high cost of wafer-level fabrication. In this paper, 8-inch wafer-scale near-infrared all-dielectric metalenses are demonstrated by a scalable high-precision manufacturing scheme that dramatically reduces cost while ensuring exceptional uniformity and performance. Our step-and-repeat (S&R) imprinting strategy eliminates the need for costly deep-UV lithography or large-area direct-write tools, reducing master mold costs by over an order of magnitude. Optical characterization confirms diffraction-limited focusing performance and remarkable consistency across the entire wafer, validating both process robustness and design fidelity. Owing to its compatibility with diverse material systems and standard semiconductor processes, this methodology paves a practical high-yield pathway toward the commercial deployment of high-performance metasurfaces for demanding applications, including LiDAR, AR/VR, and aerospace-grade optics.