We propose a wide field-of-view (FOV) refractive and meta-optics hybrid imaging system designed for the mid-wave infrared spectrum (3–5 μm) to address the challenge of high-quality imaging in wide FOV applications. The system consists of only three refractive lenses and two metasurfaces (one functioning as a circular polarizer and the other as a phase element), with a total length of 29 mm. Through a detailed analysis of modulation transfer function curves and spot diagrams, the system achieves 178° FOV while maintaining exceptional imaging performance across a temperature range of −40 °C to 60 °C. The system demonstrates the potential for extending applications to other wavelengths and scenarios, thereby contributing to the advancement of high-performance compact optical systems.

This paper proposes a broadband and high-efficiency anomalous reflection device based on a dielectric catenary metasurface, addressing the bottleneck problems of low efficiency and narrow bandwidth in traditional discrete metasurfaces. By designing a silicon-based equal-strength catenary structure, the efficient control of circularly polarized light beams within a wide angular range in the infrared band has been achieved. Simulation results show that the designed metasurface exhibits excellent beam steering performance when the deflection angle reaches 65°. Furthermore, to characterize the diffraction efficiency of the metasurface within a large angular range, the results indicate that under oblique incidence (0–60°), the diffraction efficiency of the ±1st order exceeds 80%, and the undesired higher-order diffractions are significantly suppressed. This ultrahigh working efficiency is attributed to the nearly perfect polarization conversion and continuous phase profile of the dielectric catenary structure. By combining catenary optics with the low-loss properties of the dielectric material, this design provides a new solution for the design of efficient, broadband, and wide-angle planar optical devices.

We present a compact hybrid imaging system operating in the 3–5 μm spectral band that combines refractive optics with a dispersion-engineered metasurface to overcome the longstanding trade-off between wide field of view (FOV), system size, and thermal stability. The system achieves an ultra-wide 178° FOV within a total track length of only 28.25 mm, employing just three refractive lenses and one metasurface. Through co-optimization of material selection and system architecture, it maintains the modulation transfer function (MTF) exceeding 0.54 at 33 lp/mm and the geometric (GEO) radius below 15 μm across an extended operational temperature range from –40 °C to 60 °C. The metasurface is designed using a propagation phase approach with cylindrical unit cells to ensure polarization-insensitive behavior, and its broadband dispersion-free phase profile is optimized via a particle swarm algorithm. The results indicate that phase-matching errors remain small at all wavelengths, with a mean value of 0.11068. This design provides an environmentally resilient solution for lightweight applications, including automotive infrared night vision and unmanned aerial vehicle remote sensing.