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

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在创造一种独特的无掩模光刻技术，称为“曝光控制投影光刻”（ECPL），以制造具有受控物理非球面形状的梯度指数（GRIN）光学元件。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基板上制造光滑的光学表面，而不需要典型的逐层制造方法所引起的阶梯。该提案的主要重点是进一步提高ECPL制造能力，包括具有多维可变GRIN剖面的三维透镜。本项目的主要智力价值在于进一步科学地理解立体光刻工艺中先进的光聚合，并开发对这些物理行为的高保真多向控制。关键的智力进步包括构建高保真树脂响应模型，推进干涉实时监测系统的发展，改进工艺规划和控制算法。这一努力将导致一种智能，灵活的非球面GRIN微透镜制造工艺。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，并代表了低成本，高吞吐量和产量的单步制造行业趋势的关键进步，并且不需要重新加工或设备停机。提出开发的过程和控制算法具有促进整个光电机械系统行业技术的潜力，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。类似ecpl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上三维变化的微结构，而不需要预先成型的掩模、模具或工具，这大大提高了微制造系统的灵活性，同时将生产成本保持在最低限度。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隐形眼镜和宽视野（苍蝇的眼睛）概念。实时监控系统ECPL几乎支持任何立体光刻工艺，并且由于几乎所有原材料都转化为最终产品，因此提供了环保零件生产的附加效益。

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.