SBIR Phase I: Novel Manufacturing Method for Long Length Linear Encoders

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This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will explore the feasibility of a novel manufacturing method for producing high-accuracy linear encoders (sensors used to perform precision position measurements). The encoder market is expected to grow to $3.7 billion by 2026. The need for high-end automation, smart manufacturing, and continuous device miniaturization puts ever-increasing demands on the accuracy and availability of encoders. The proposed technology will provide more accurate, more robust encoders with shorter lead times and lower prices than currently available solutions. The proposed research will help establish a core technology required to produce precision encoder gratings for a new generation of incremental and absolute position sensors, helping to secure and diversify the supply chain. The intellectual merit of this project is to investigate a new method to manufacture encoder gratings. Optical encoder gratings are traditionally produced by contact lithography. The drawbacks of this process are accelerated photomask wear, low yield, sensitivity to contamination, and limited accuracy and resolution. This project is expected to eliminate or significantly improve all of these drawbacks by developing a novel microfabrication approach. Research objectives are to address the unique challenges resulting from the substantial size of the required substrate and the extreme accuracy requirements. Research tasks include construction of an early prototype, characterizing mechanical components, design and optimization of the optical system, and several parametric studies to quantify the performance of the proposed fabrication method.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.