Researchers from the Monash University School of Physics and Astronomy have flipped a long-held assumption in optics, showing that deliberately introducing controlled disorder into ultra-thin optical devices can dramatically increase their power and versatility, without making them bigger or more complex. Published in Nature Communications, the study reveals a new class of “disordered mosaic metasurfaces” nanostructured materials that manipulate light, capable of performing multiple optical functions simultaneously within a single device. At the centre of the breakthrough is a counterintuitive idea: instead of carefully arranging structures in perfect order, the team scattered them in a controlled, mosaic-like pattern,  and found that performance didn’t degrade. In fact, it improved. “Disorder is usually something engineers try to eliminate,” said ARC Future Fellow Dr Haoran Ren from the Monash NanoMeta Group in the School of Physics and Astronomy. “But we found that if you design it carefully, disorder can actually enhance what these devices can do. It allows us to pack far more functionality into the same space.” Metasurfaces, ultra-thin arrays of nanoscale structures, are already reshaping technologies from imaging and sensing to quantum computing. But a major limitation has persisted: each device typically performs just one function. This new approach dismantles that constraint.

By using a disordered “mosaic” layout of tiny light-controlling elements (known as meta-pixels), the researchers showed they could drastically reduce the area needed for any one function, freeing up space to embed additional capabilities within the same surface.

“Think of it like a city,” said Dr Chi Li, first author of the study, also from the School of Physics and Astronomy. “Traditional designs give one function the entire space. What we’ve done is redesign the ‘urban planning’ so multiple functions can coexist efficiently, without interfering with each other.” As a proof of concept, the team built a new type of optical lens that works across a broad range of wavelengths, something that typically requires bulky, complex systems. Their device integrates 11 distinct optical functions into a single surface, enabling it to focus light consistently across different colours without the usual distortion known as chromatic aberration. Crucially, this performance was achieved without increasing design complexity or device size.

“This is a fundamentally different way of thinking about optical design,” said Dr Ren.

“We’re no longer limited by the idea that one device equals one function.”

Beyond lensing, the team also demonstrated a powerful new imaging capability: the ability to capture detailed information about the polarisation of light, including complex, structured light fields, in a single measurement.

Previously, this kind of analysis required multiple measurements or specialised equipment. The new metasurface can do it instantly, opening the door to faster, more compact optical sensing technologies.

The implications are wide-ranging. Compact, multifunctional optical devices could transform technologies where size, weight and performance are critical, from biomedical diagnostics and environmental sensing to telecommunications and space-based imaging.

“This platform gives us a scalable way to integrate many optical functions into a single, compact device,” said Dr Li. “It’s a step toward truly multifunctional photonic systems.”

Perhaps the most significant impact of the work is conceptual.

By showing that disorder,  when engineered, can outperform order, the research challenges a foundational assumption across photonics and engineering more broadly.

“Sometimes the most powerful innovations come from questioning what we think we know,” said Dr Ren. “In this case, embracing disorder has allowed us to unlock capabilities that simply weren’t possible before.”

This study was conducted experimentally at the Monash Nanophotonics Laboratory, with additional contributions from Dr Changxu Liu at the University of Exeter, Professor Stefan Maier, Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy at Monash University, and Professor Andrew Forbes’ group at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

This press release has also been published on VRITIMES