PFI-TT: Advanced Materials for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Applications

PFI-TT：用于增强/虚拟现实 (AR/VR) 应用的先进材料

• 批准号: 2314268
• 负责人: Chih-Hao Chang
• 金额: $ 25万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-11-15 至 2025-10-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2314268&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; TT; Advanced; Materials; Augmented

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to create light signal microchips using special materials that will work faster and more efficiently. With the emergence of the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) displays that are forecasted to grow into a $100 billon industry, there is high consumer demand for smaller, more efficient, and higher-performance wearable gadgets and devices. These devices use special microchips to guide light on the glass surfaces to overlay digital content on visual objects that the eyes see. One important design factor in such AR/VR devices is the use of low refractive index materials, which can enhance contrast and reduce optical losses and provide higher-quality images. The existing materials falls short and have poor mechanical properties, limiting the optical efficiency and mechanical robustness of the devices. This key challenge will be addressed by a novel material, which has a unique combination of low refractive index and high mechanical stiffness. The proposed material is expected to be light and will improve the efficiency of such microchips by 40% and can be widely adopted in next-generation wearable devices.The proposed project will enable the manufacturing of a nanolattice material that can break the traditional optical index vs mechanical stiffness trade-off observed in existing low-index material. Commercially available low-index materials are limited and are unable to achieve index less than 1.3. The index can be further reduced by using porous materials; however, the random porosity can significantly degrade mechanical properties at low density. The proposed research aims to directly engineer the architecture and material composition of the nanolattices to enable optical index of less than 1.2 while maintaining over 10 GPa stiffness, properties that are not possible in traditional materials. Through a partnership with stakeholders from academia, industry, and the start-up ecosystem, this applied research will be accomplished by addressing key technology barriers in nanolattice modeling, integration processes, and scalable manufacturing. The main goals for this project are: (1) Optimize the optical and mechanical properties of the nanolattice material, (2) develop high-yield integration processes to embed the nanolattice material into photonic waveguides, and (3) demonstrate scale-up manufacturing and benchmark throughput with industrial partners. If successful, this project will enable the scalable manufacturing and facilitate the commercialization of nanolattice materials for the emerging wearable AR/VR industry.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.

该创新-技术转化合作伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是使用特殊材料制造光信号微芯片，这些材料将更快，更有效地工作。随着虚拟现实（VR）和增强现实（AR）显示器的出现，预计将发展成为一个1000亿美元的行业，消费者对更小，更高效，更高性能的可穿戴设备和设备的需求很高。 这些设备使用特殊的微芯片来引导玻璃表面上的光，以将数字内容覆盖在眼睛看到的视觉对象上。 这种AR/VR设备的一个重要设计因素是使用低折射率材料，这可以增强对比度，减少光学损耗，并提供更高质量的图像。现有的材料福尔斯不足并且具有差的机械性能，限制了器件的光学效率和机械鲁棒性。这一关键挑战将通过一种新型材料来解决，该材料具有低折射率和高机械刚度的独特组合。该材料重量轻，将使微芯片的效率提高40%，可广泛应用于下一代可穿戴设备。该项目将使纳米晶格材料的制造能够打破现有低折射率材料中观察到的传统光学折射率与机械刚度的权衡。市售的低折射率材料是有限的，并且不能实现小于1.3的折射率。通过使用多孔材料可以进一步降低该指数;然而，随机孔隙率可以在低密度下显著降低机械性能。这项研究旨在直接设计纳米晶格的结构和材料成分，使光学指数小于1.2，同时保持超过10 GPa的刚度，这是传统材料无法实现的特性。通过与来自学术界，工业界和初创生态系统的利益相关者的合作，这项应用研究将通过解决纳米晶格建模，集成过程和可扩展制造中的关键技术障碍来完成。该项目的主要目标是：（1）优化纳米晶格材料的光学和机械性能，（2）开发高产量集成工艺，将纳米晶格材料嵌入光子波导中，以及（3）与工业合作伙伴一起展示规模化制造和基准吞吐量。如果成功，该项目将实现可扩展的制造，并促进新兴的可穿戴AR/VR行业的纳米晶格材料的商业化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。