SBIR Phase I: Transparent inorganic photoresists for high index photonics

SBIR 第一阶段：用于高折射率光子学的透明无机光刻​​胶

• 批准号: 2052401
• 负责人: Omid Sadeghihosseinabadi
• 金额: $ 25.6万
• 依托单位: PHOSIO CORPORATION
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-05-01 至 2022-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2052401&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Transparent; inorganic; photoresists

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will enable next-generation engineered optics employed in augmented and virtual reality (AVR) devices. Engineered optics manufacturers currently deposit polymeric thin films and imprint and cure them with transparent molds and UV light. Such polymeric films often have high costs and sub-optimal optical performance. Novel high-index materials are required for device miniaturization and increased field of view. This project will provide AVR manufacturers with cost effective methods to fabricate high refractive index transparent photonic devices that would otherwise be impossible or cost prohibitive to manufacture by methods currently available.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will expand the knowledge base of high-index, UV-curable precursors that can be used for engineered optics. UV-curable polymeric-nanoparticle composite materials represent the current state-of-the-art to produce optical waveguide components for augmented and virtual reality (AVR) applications. These coatings often suffer from low-optical transmission, increased haze values, high coefficients of thermal expansion, and low-indices of refraction. This project develops UV-curable, inorganic films that exceeds the standards of currently used materials. This research project will focus on elucidating correlations between precursor formulation and film processing to control film thickness, refractive index, and optical transmission. The proposed research objectives will reproducibly demonstrate materials with controlled optical performance that that meets or exceeds the current state-of-the-art and establish a pathway for manufacturers to achieve device miniaturization.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该小型企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目具有更广泛的影响/商业潜力，将使增强现实和虚拟现实 (AVR) 设备中使用的下一代工程光学器件成为可能。工程光学制造商目前沉积聚合物薄膜并用透明模具和紫外线对其进行压印和固化。此类聚合物膜通常具有高成本和次优光学性能。设备小型化和增加视场需要新型高折射率材料。 该项目将为 AVR 制造商提供具有成本效益的方法来制造高折射率透明光子器件，否则通过现有方法制造这些器件是不可能的或成本过高。该小型企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目将扩展以下领域的知识库：可用于工程光学的高折射率、紫外线固化前驱体。 紫外线固化聚合物纳米颗粒复合材料代表了当前生产用于增强现实和虚拟现实 (AVR) 应用的光波导组件的最先进技术。这些涂层通常存在光透射率低、雾度值增加、热膨胀系数高和折射率低的问题。该项目开发的紫外线固化无机薄膜超出了目前使用材料的标准。该研究项目将重点阐明前驱体配方和薄膜加工之间的相关性，以控制薄膜厚度、折射率和光传输。 拟议的研究目标将可重复地展示具有受控光学性能的材料，满足或超过当前最先进的水平，并为制造商实现设备小型化建立途径。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为值得支持通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。