STTR Phase II: Laser Vapor Deposition for thin film functional polymers and nanocomposites

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。这项小型企业技术转移研究（STTR）二期项目旨在将一项创新技术商业化，用于沉积薄膜和功能聚合物、功能化纳米颗粒和纳米颗粒负载聚合物的异质结构。激光气相沉积（LVD -商标）可用于提高效率和降低薄膜器件的成本，如有机发光二极管（oled），有机太阳能电池和聚合物化学传感器。该项目将证明LVD可以满足工业生产要求，通过(a)在各种工艺配置中对整个过程与激光功率进行缩放研究，以及(b)使用商用高功率近红外激光器的非线性光学频率转换建立桌面中红外激光器原型。对中红外振动激发下激光与材料相互作用物理机制的深入研究将支持这一目标。该项目的成果也将为中红外波长光谱中材料加工应用的高功率工业激光器提供发展路线图。这项技术更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是大规模生产薄膜有机光电子器件的技术。例如，OLED是一种节能显示和固态照明设备。根据美国能源部的数据，广泛采用固态照明产品，如白光oled，可以使美国的照明用电量减少29%，同时为美国家庭节省约1250亿美元。它还将减少美国对外国石油的依赖，减少温室气体排放，从而改善环境。此外，LVD将加速有机电子产品向消费领域的渗透，并创造新的应用，如柔性显示器。正如聚合物已经在从儿童玩具到汽车的所有领域取代金属一样，聚合物通过降低成本并为聚合物电子和纳米结构显示器等设备开辟新市场，正在彻底改变电子和光电子学。此外，在此过程中开发的台式高功率激光器蓝图将为近红外和中红外超短脉冲激光材料加工应用提供新的途径。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase II project seeks to commercialize an innovative technology for depositing thin films and heterostructures of functional polymers, functionalized nanoparticles and nanoparticle-loaded polymers. Laser vapor deposition (LVD - trademarked) can be used to increase efficiency and reduce cost of thin-film devices as varied as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic solar cells and polymer chemosensors. This project will prove that LVD can meet industrial production requirements by (a) performing scaling studies of the process-throughout versus laser power in various process configurations and (b) building a table-top mid-infrared laser prototype using nonlinear optical frequency conversion from a commercially available high-power near-infrared laser. This objective will be supported by thorough studies on the physical mechanism of laser-materials interaction under mid-infrared vibrational excitation. The outcome of this project will also provide the development roadmap for high power industrial lasers for materials processing applications in mid-infrared wavelength spectrum.The broader impact/commercial potential from this technology will be the technique for mass production of thin-film organic optoelectronics devices. For example, the OLED is an energy-efficient display and solid-state lighting device. Widespread adoption of solid-state lighting products such as white-light OLEDs could cut the US consumption of electricity for lighting by 29%, while saving the nation's households about $125 billion in the process, according to the Department of Energy. It would also reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thereby improving the environment. Furthermore, LVD will accelerate the penetration of organic electronics into the consumer space and create new applications such as flexible displays. Just as polymers have replaced metal in everything from children's toys to automobiles, polymers are revolutionizing electronics and optoelectronics by reducing costs and opening new markets for devices such as polymer electronics and nanostructured displays. In addition, the blueprint of table-top high-power lasers developed in this process will provide a new path into ultra-short-pulse laser materials processing applications in the near and mid-infrared.