SBIR Phase I: Exposure Controlled Projection Lithography for Fabrication of Physical Shaped GRIN Optics

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在创建一种独特的无掩模光刻技术，称为“曝光控制投影光刻”（ECPL），以实现具有受控物理非球面形状的梯度折射率（GRIN）光学元件的制造。ECPL是一种先进的增材立体光刻制造技术，与现有的制造工艺相比，它将降低制造成本和时间，并在形状和折射率分布方面提供高灵活性。ECPL方法的一个关键优点是可以在平坦和弯曲的衬底上制造光滑的光学表面，而没有典型的逐层制造方法所引起的阶梯状。该建议的主要重点是进一步ECPL制造能力，包括三维透镜，拥有多维变化的梯度折射率分布。该项目的主要智力价值在于促进对立体光刻工艺中先进光聚合的科学理解，并开发对这些物理行为的高保真多方向控制。关键的智能进步包括构建树脂响应的高保真模型，推进干涉实时监测系统的开发，以及改进工艺规划和控制算法。 该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是为广泛的研究和商业产品开发一种使能技术，并代表了工业趋势的一步制造的关键进步，低成本，高产量和产量，没有重新加工或设备停机时间。拟开发的工艺和控制算法有可能促进整个光机电系统行业的技术，包括许多生物医学和生物启发设计应用，微制造，全息数据存储，纳米级制造，微尺度质量保证和无损检测，监控系统和医疗保健等。ECPL类工艺的广泛吸引力很简单：利用动态可控的微制造技术来创建在形状和材料特性方面三维变化的微结构，而不需要预先形成的掩模，模具或工具，大大提高了微制造系统的灵活性，同时将生产成本保持在绝对最低水平。ECPL技术将使生物启发光学设计的研究成为可能，包括用于人类视力矫正的GRIN接触透镜和宽视场（蝇眼）概念。实时监控系统ECPL支持几乎所有的光固化工艺，并且由于几乎所有的原材料都被转化为最终产品，因此为环保型零件生产提供了额外的好处。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to create a unique maskless lithography technology called "Exposure Controlled Projection Lithography" (ECPL), to enable manufacturing of gradient index (GRIN) optical components with controlled physical aspheric shapes. ECPL is an advanced additive stereolithography fabrication technology which will reduce the manufacturing cost and time, and provide high flexibility over the shape and refractive index distribution compared to existing manufacturing processes. A key advantage of the ECPL approach is that smooth optical surfaces can be fabricated, without the stair-stepping caused by typical layer-by-layer fabrication methods, on flat as well as curved substrates. The primary focus of this proposal is to further ECPL fabrication capability to include three-dimensional lenses that possess multi-dimensional varying GRIN profiles. The primary intellectual merit of this project lies in furthering the scientific understanding of advanced photopolymerization in stereolithography processes, and developing high fidelity multi-directional control over these physical behaviors. Key intellectual advancements include constructing high-fidelity models of resin response, advancing the development of an interferometric real-time monitoring system, and improving process planning and control algorithms. This effort will result in an intelligent, flexible aspheric GRIN microlens fabrication process.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to develop an enabling technology for a wide range of research and commercial products, and represents a key advancement in an industry trend towards single-step fabrication at low cost, high throughput and yield, and without re-tooling or equipment downtime. The processes and control algorithms proposed to be developed have potential to facilitate technologies throughout the Opto-Electro-Mechanical systems' industry, including numerous biomedical and bio-inspired design applications, micro-fabrication, holographic data storage, nano-scale manufacture, micro-scale quality assurance and non-destructive testing, surveillance systems, and health care, amongst many others. The broad appeal of ECPL-like processes is simple: utilizing dynamically controllable micro-fabrication techniques to create microstructures that vary three-dimensionally in both shape and material properties without the need for pre-formed masks, molds, or tooling greatly improves the flexibility of micro-manufacturing systems while keeping production costs to an absolute minimum. ECPL technology will enable research of bio-inspired optical designs, including the GRIN contact lens for human vision correction and the wide field of view (fly's eye) concept. The real-time monitoring system ECPL supports nearly any stereolithographic process, and since virtually all raw materials are converted into final product, provides an additive benefit of environmentally friendly part production.