IUCRC Phase III University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Center for Freeform Optics (CeFO)

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The Center for Freeform Optics (CeFO) is a partnership between the University of Rochester (UR) and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte). As a Phase III Industry University Cooperative Research Center, CeFO will continue to advance research and education in Freeform Optics science, engineering, and applications through dedicated, long-term partnerships with industry and government laboratories. CeFO is motivated by the need for compact, affordable, high-performance optical systems to support the precision technologies of the 21st century. Freeform optics enables compact optical solutions for complex light mapping and optical systems folding in three dimensions (3-D). Applications with immediate benefit include 3-D imaging and visualization, augmented and virtual reality, infrared and military optical systems, efficient automotive and LED lighting, energy research, remote sensing, semiconductor manufacturing and inspection, and medical and assistive technologies. CeFO enables freeform optics to permeate the marketplace by integrating fundamental and applied research, including artificial intelligence optimization algorithms, and significant advances in design, fabrication, testing, and assembly. CeFO creates a fertile, dynamic, inclusive, multidisciplinary environment to advance this technology. The partner universities are dedicated to recruiting and retaining women and students from other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and math (i.e., ~40% average in CeFO) to create a diverse and skilled workforce for the 21st century. Students work with CeFO industrial members to communicate and transfer critical enabling technologies.The Center for Freeform Optics (CeFO) vertically integrates mathematics, materials science, optical science, optical instrument design, optomechanics, and precision optical manufacturing, measurement, and testing to transform the optics industry in the 21st century. CeFO constitutes a unique research environment combining the strengths of two world-class research universities with specialized experiences, insights, and interdisciplinary talents for designing, building, and measuring advanced optical systems. UNC Charlotte's excellence in fabrication, metrology, and precision opto-mechanical design complements the University of Rochester's expertise in optical theory, design, and metrology. Research topics of immediate interest to the industry include the mathematical descriptions of freeform surfaces and design methodologies, quantifying the impact of mid-spatial frequencies (MSFs) on optical performance, emerging manufacturing methods including laser-based and additive manufacturing, and precision metrology for freeform optics spanning form and MSFs. Additional challenges include using complex optical materials, mitigating MSFs, volume manufacturing (e.g., replication, molding, 3D printing), and integrating artificial intelligence optimization algorithms in process chains. Freeform optical systems will enable innovation in sensing, imaging, visualization, and diagnostic instrumentation.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.