PFI-RP: Additive Manufacturing for Scalable Metalens Fabrication

PFI-RP：用于可扩展超透镜制造的增材制造

• 批准号: 2122654
• 负责人: James Watkins
• 金额: $ 54.83万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 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: 2021-08-15 至 2025-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2122654&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; RP; Additive; Manufacturing; Scalable

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation – Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) project is the design and fabrication of high performance metalenses using an innovative, cost-effective approach that will enable a superior product that cannot otherwise be manufactured in a scalable manner. Metalenses (or flat lenses) are ultrathin planar lenses that use nanofeatures patterned on the surface to efficiently control light. thereby eliminating the bulkiness of traditional glass and plastic lenses while providing more utility and function in a substantially lighter and smaller volume. Lens miniaturization and the introduction of wide fields of view and corrections for distortion and color aberration, all possible with metalenses, have enormous economic potential for consumer products, medical, defense, and space applications. Technology insertion points include cell phone cameras, augmented reality / virtual reality (AR/VR), heads-up displays, medical and scientific imaging, precision optics, and high-resolution imaging satellites, with associated markets exceeding $100 billion. The PFI RP team addresses the critical elements of the supply and technology chains enabling domestic commercialization of an emerging technology with substantial societal impact. The proposed project is a novel but achievable additive manufacturing approach for all inorganic, titanium oxide metalenses that involves a variation of nanoimprint lithography using crystalline nanoparticle-based inks. By enabling direct “printing” of the lenses, the additive process stands. The proposed technology is in contrast to current multi-step subtractive fabrications of all-inorganic visible metalenses that are based on technologies and processes developed for the semiconductor industry. The team’s unique materials and process developments enable rapid cycle times, tunable refractive index (up to 2.1), and high aspect ratio features for highly efficient, all-inorganic flat lenses. State-of-the-art and innovative lens design and simulation are applied to take advantage of these unique and flexible fabrication capabilities and deliver outstanding lens performance, as confirmed by prototype testing. Key innovations in fabrication include developing stable nanoparticle inks, a unique pulsed UV light cure approach that provides intense but localized heating to rapidly stabilize the imprinted structures and remove organics without increasing bulk temperatures, and post-manufacturing treatments that further enhance the refractive index. While innovative, the process is scalable and will be demonstrated on full-scale manufacturing tools using commercially accepted solvents and process flows.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.

这种创新合作伙伴关系的更广泛的影响/商业潜力 - 研究合作伙伴关系（PFI-RP）项目是使用创新的，具有成本效益的方法设计和制造高性能金属企业，该方法将使无法以可扩展的方式制造出卓越的产品。金属镜（或扁平透镜）是超薄平面镜片，使用在表面上图案上图案的纳米晶状体有效控制光线。从而消除了传统的玻璃和塑料镜头的笨重，同时在次要的较轻和较小的体积中提供了更多的实用性和功能。镜头小型化以及引入广泛的视野和纠正扭曲和颜色像差的校正，所有可能都具有金属味，对消费产品，医疗，国防和空间应用具有增强的经济潜力。技术插入点包括手机摄像机，增强现实 /虚拟现实（AR / VR），主动显示，医学和科学成像，精确光学的光学和高分辨率成像卫星，相关市场超过1000亿美元。 PFI RP团队探讨了供应和技术链的关键要素，从而实现了具有重大社会影响的新兴技术的国内商业化。该项目是一种新型但成功的增材制造方法，用于所有无机氧化钛金属，涉及使用晶体纳米粒子油墨的纳米膜光刻变化。通过启用镜头的直接“打印”，添加的过程立场。所提出的技术与目前基于为半导体行业开发的技术和过程的全无机可见金属的多步减法相反。该团队的独特材料和过程开发可实现快速周期的时间，可调节折射率（最高2.1）以及高度高效，全无机扁平镜头的高纵横比特征。正如原型测试所证实的那样，采用了最新的和创新的镜头设计和仿真来利用这些独特而灵活的制造能力并提供出色的镜头性能。制造的关键创新包括开发稳定的纳米粒子油墨，这是一种独特的脉冲紫外线固化方法，可提供强烈但局部的加热，以快速稳定烙印结构并消除组织而不增加大体的治疗，并在制造后处理，从而进一步增强了折射率。尽管创新，但该过程是可扩展的，并且将使用商业上接受的解决方案和流程在全尺度制造工具上进行证明。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用该基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务。

项目成果

Refractive Index Tuning of All-Inorganic TiO 2 Nanocrystal-Based Films and High Aspect Ratio Nanostructures Using Atomic Layer Deposition: Implications for High-Throughput Fabrication of Metalenses

使用原子层沉积对全无机 TiO 2 纳米晶体基薄膜和高纵横比纳米结构进行折射率调节：对超透镜高通量制造的影响

• DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.2c04982
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: ACS Applied Nano Materials
• 影响因子: 5.9
• 作者: Jung, Dae Eon;Howell, Irene R.;Einck, Vincent J.;Arisoy, Feyza Dundar;Verrastro, Lucas D.;McClung, Andrew;Arbabi, Amir;Watkins, James J.
• 通讯作者: Watkins, James J.