Optics & Imaging · Projected milestone
Metalenses
Estimated year~2028
45% by 2033 · including earlier years
The year is an editorial timing estimate. The percentage applies to occurrence by the stated deadline. These estimates are not calibrated odds.
Flat nanostructured lenses replace stacks of glass in phone cameras.
Explore this milestone on the interactive mapWhat the forecast means
Milestone stage: milestone (legacy definition)
Completion criteria: Legacy milestone: refine the observable threshold before resolving.
This page describes a forecast, rather than an achieved result. Read the methodology and assumptions.
Built on
- Stored-program computerRecorded · 1948requires
- Quantum dotsRecorded · 1981enables
- CMOS image sensorRecorded · 1993requires
- SmartphoneRecorded · 1994requires
- MetamaterialsRecorded · 2000enables
- Computational photographyRecorded · 2016enables
- EUV lithographyRecorded · 2019enables
- Everyday metamaterialsRecorded · 2022enables
Led to
Sources & evidence
No individual source links are recorded for this milestone. Source coverage and review status vary across the atlas.
Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.