Machining metre-sized gratings with nanometre accuracy

加工纳米级精度的米级光栅

• 批准号: EP/V053973/1
• 负责人: David Buscher
• 金额: $ 96.71万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FV053973%2F1
• 关键词: Machining; metre; sized; gratings; nanometre

The proposed research aims at developing a new capability to manufacture structures which are metres in size, but accurate at the nanometre level. This makes use of a new paradigm for precision manufacturing which will combine two separate approaches. The first exploits the repeatable and/or strictly periodic atomic or molecular scale properties of materials to fabricate structures which are accurate on small scales. The second exploits high precision interferometric metrology to position a "writing" head accurately and precisely over large distances. By combining these methods, we aim to "position" the small-scale structures over metre-sized areas using an accurate "location head", thereby guaranteeing much larger-scale order. In this first step towards the development of this novel approach, we will fabricate a number of moderate sized (150 mm diameter) echelle diffraction gratings. These consist of regular and precise sets of miniature grooves on a reflecting surface, and are used in spectroscopy and other measurement and analysis sciences. To do this we will design and build a novel "ruling engine" that will position an optical laser head precisely and accurately, to a few thousandths of a hair's breadth, above the surface of a silicon substrate. The laser head will be precisely guided over the silicon surface so as to set the locations of grooves made by subsequently etching the silicon. When tested, the optical performance of the gratings will be used to refine the active control and position of the writing head, and to validate how successfully positional accuracy can be maintained over larger and larger areas. In the longer term, we aim to develop the system which positions the precision writing head to deliver a more general manufacturing technology so as to allow the writing of arbitrary 2-dimensional patterns on a range of surfaces with unprecedented accuracy. The eventual goal will be to produced a machine capable of "writing" nanometre-accurate 2-d patterns over metre-sized areas.

拟议的研究旨在开发一种新的能力，制造尺寸为米，但精确到纳米级的结构。这使得使用一个新的模式，精密制造，将联合收割机两个独立的方法。第一种是利用材料的可重复和/或严格周期性的原子或分子尺度特性来制造在小尺度上精确的结构。第二种方法利用高精度干涉测量法在大距离上准确地和精确地定位“写入”头。通过结合这些方法，我们的目标是使用准确的“定位头”在米级区域上“定位”小规模结构，从而保证更大规模的订单。在这第一步发展这种新的方法，我们将制作一些中等尺寸（150毫米直径）中阶梯光栅衍射光栅。这些由反射表面上的规则和精确的微型凹槽组成，用于光谱学和其他测量和分析科学。为此，我们将设计和制造一种新颖的“划线引擎”，它将光学激光头精确定位在硅衬底表面上方的头发宽度的千分之几。激光头将在硅表面上被精确地引导，以便设置通过随后蚀刻硅而形成的凹槽的位置。在测试时，光栅的光学性能将被用于改进写入头的主动控制和位置，并验证在越来越大的区域上如何成功地保持位置精度。长远而言，我们的目标是开发定位精密写入头的系统，以提供更通用的制造技术，从而允许以前所未有的精度在一系列表面上写入任意二维图案。最终的目标将是制造出一台能够在一米大小的区域上“书写”纳米精度的二维图案的机器。