In the early 19th century, France was searching for a way to project lighthouse beams farther and brighter. At the time, convex lenses for lighting were heavy and expensive, and improving their performance required making them even thicker.

A young physicist, Augustin-Jean Fresnel, approached this problem in a completely different way. He invented the Fresnel lens by retaining only the surfaces necessary for refracting light and cutting away the rest in a stepped pattern. This idea improved performance not by changing the material or the laws of physics, but by altering the shape and structure.

Later, scientists expanded the possibility that the function of a material could be changed solely through structural design to a broader range of fields. 'Meta materials' are a prime example. Meta materials are artificially engineered structures, precisely designed to manipulate wave properties such as light, sound, electromagnetic waves, and heat.

The key lies not in the composition of the material, but in the microstructures arranged on a scale smaller than the wavelength. These structures influence the propagation of waves, resulting in new physical properties such as refractive index, reflectivity, and permeability. Rather than relying on simple composition, this technology mathematically designs the spatial structure to alter the material's response.

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Hong Sunghoon, a senior researcher at the Smart Materials Laboratory of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), explained, "Meta materials are artificially engineered substances that can realize unusual physical properties not found in nature," adding, "By controlling structure, shape, and arrangement, we can tailor the properties of materials as desired." Because of this approach, meta materials are attracting attention in various technological fields by reducing weight and volume while enhancing performance.

In 2006, Professor David Smith's research team at Duke University in the United States and Professor John Pendry in the United Kingdom demonstrated the principle of an 'invisibility cloak' by using meta materials to redirect microwaves of specific frequencies. This achievement brought meta materials to the attention of the general public.

Adjusting structure, shape, and arrangement to
realize desired material properties
enhancing performance while reducing weight and volume

First practical application potential in optics
Miniaturization of AR and VR devices with metalenses

Effective even when changing electromagnetic wave paths
Used in satellite communication and 6G communication antennas

Photo by Getty Images Bank

Research team led by Professor Junseok Noh at POSTECH
Developed mass production process for metalenses
Accelerating realization of compact high-performance optical devices

Meta materials first showed practical potential in the field of optics. Traditional lenses refract light through thick glass, but meta lenses focus light using surface structures designed at the nanometer scale.

This approach enables the production of thin and lightweight lenses, making it advantageous for miniaturizing smartphone cameras, AR/VR devices, and wearable displays. In display technology, meta materials can selectively transmit or reflect specific wavelengths of light, enabling the production of high-resolution OLED, QLED, and hologram displays.

Meta materials are also effective in altering the path of electromagnetic waves. The angle and intensity at which radio waves pass through or reflect off a material can vary greatly depending on its internal structure. By precisely designing these structures, meta materials can bend radio waves in one direction or focus them in a specific direction.

This technology has significant potential in telecommunications, such as satellite communications, wireless transmission and reception, and high-sensitivity antennas for 6G communications. In fact, the American private company Kymeta has commercialized flat-panel satellite antennas using meta materials, enabling stable satellite signal reception on moving platforms such as ships and aircraft.

In the defense sector, meta materials are being applied to stealth technology by absorbing electromagnetic waves or reducing scattering. Meta materials are being considered as practical alternatives for electromagnetic shielding materials, radar absorbers, and materials that block wireless signal interference.

Meta materials are also advancing energy efficiency and precision control technologies. Physical quantities with wave properties, such as heat and sound, can also be manipulated. Like light, heat and sound are reflected or absorbed depending on their wavelength, and their transmission paths change according to the structure. By precisely designing the microstructure, it is possible to control heat and acoustics in ways that are difficult to achieve with conventional materials.

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In solar panels, filter structures that block infrared and ultraviolet light while allowing only visible light to pass through can reduce overheating and degradation, thereby improving power generation efficiency. In architectural windows or heat dissipation materials inside electronic devices, unnecessary energy loss can be prevented, and heat control performance can be enhanced.

Acoustic meta materials can block or distort sound at specific frequencies, making it inaudible. This technology can be applied to soundproofing installations, high-sensitivity acoustic sensors, and customized sound filtering devices. There is also ongoing research into technologies that precisely control mechanical shocks or vibrations by altering the transmission path of vibrations.

Meta materials are showing new possibilities in the medical and bio fields as well. Because they can selectively amplify or focus waves of specific frequencies, they enable the creation of highly sensitive sensors that detect extremely subtle biological signals or pathological changes. This allows for more precise identification of trace amounts of viruses, cancer cells, and disease markers than ever before, and can be applied to early and precision diagnostic technologies.

By focusing light, heat, or sound waves only on targeted areas, it is possible to selectively stimulate or destroy lesions, which is advantageous for minimally invasive procedures or targeted therapies. Research is also underway to design meta material structures that release drugs only when certain conditions are met inside the body by binding specific drugs to the structure. This technology, known as a smart drug delivery system, can increase drug efficacy and reduce side effects.

Although meta materials are still in the early stages of commercialization, Korea is showing remarkable competitiveness, especially in the field of manufacturing technology. Professor Roh Joonseok's research team at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has developed a mass production process for meta lenses, accelerating the realization of miniaturized, high-performance optical devices.

Junseok Noh, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology.

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Because meta materials require the precise arrangement of nanometer-scale structures, traditional manufacturing processes resulted in prohibitively high production costs. In fact, as recently as 2019, a single meta lens for cameras cost as much as 5 million won (4,000 dollars).

However, Professor Roh's team dramatically reduced manufacturing costs by applying semiconductor processes, and now meta lenses can be produced for less than 10,000 won (8 dollars), which is even cheaper than conventional optical systems.

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Professor Roh emphasized, "We have a technology for mass-producing meta lenses at a dramatically lower cost than conventional refractive optical systems. This is a leading technology that only our laboratory can offer in the world."

He added, "With support from POSCO, POSTECH and the Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (RIST) have collaborated to perfect the mass production technology for meta lenses, and we are receiving collaboration requests from companies and research institutes worldwide. We are working to commercialize this technology in various fields such as augmented reality glasses, ultra-miniature cameras, and hologram displays."

Domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are also paying close attention to the potential of meta materials in various fields, including 6G communications, next-generation displays, and high-sensitivity sensors. Research to verify the technology through industry-academia collaboration and to explore the possibility of actual product applications is also increasing.