Can Multi-Scale Optics be Fabricated by Ultraprecision Systems - Hierarchical Fabrication Across Seven Orders of Magnitude?

该奖项的研究目标是应用和扩展扫描探针显微镜和光学光刻领域的位置测量技术，以解决精密五轴金刚石加工中数十纳米级的相对刀具定位问题。 这将使制造新的分层集成，单片，光学结构的尺寸范围从数百毫米到数百纳米的单个组件。 该方法将创建一个完全补偿的“机中机”，其不确定性比使用精密工程中已建立的热控制和软件误差补偿技术的原始系统小一个数量级。在这个较小的工作体积内，工具定位系统将被设计为使用低力接触和非接触传感器（例如基于电容的空气轴承探头、石英音叉和油浸光学元件）的组合来定位两个单晶金刚石工具的亚波长精度的相对位置。 该系统将通过使用一个工具来制造一个弯曲的球面或非球面光学表面和另一个放置在该曲面上的光学功能的亚波长图案进行测试;偏振敏感透镜是一个容易测试的例子。如果成功，这项工作将为创建具有其他方法无法实现的功能的创新光学类提供范例，并将使医疗，军事和能源技术等不同领域受益。这项研究有可能为光学器件开辟新的商业市场。 因此，整体计划还针对教育研究的多个综合举措，利用现有的校园外展工作，最终目标是培养经过培训的学生，将新技术转移到行业，并酌情建立新的商业企业。

The research objective of this award is to apply and extend position measurement techniques from the fields of scanned probe microscopy and optical lithography to solve the problem of relative tool positioning at the tens-of-nanometer level in precision five axis diamond machining. This will enable the fabrication of novel hierarchically integrated, monolithic, optical structures with size scales ranging from hundreds of millimeters down to hundreds of nanometers on a single component. The approach will be to create a fully compensated "machine-within-a-machine" with uncertainties that are an order of magnitude less than those of the original system using established thermal control and software error compensation techniques in precision engineering. Within this smaller work volume, a tool location system will be designed to locate the relative position of two single crystal diamond tools with sub-wavelength precision using a combination of low-force contact and non-contact sensors such as capacitance based air-bearing probes, quartz tuning forks, and oil immersion optical elements. The system will be tested by using one of the tools to manufacture a curved spherical or aspheric optical surface and the other to place an optically functional subwavelength pattern on that curved surface; a polarization sensitive lens is an easily tested example. If successful, this work will result in a paradigm for creating an innovative class of optics with functionality that cannot be achieved by other methods and will benefit such diverse areas as medical, military and energy technologies. This research has the potential to open up new commercial markets for optical devices. Thus, the overall program also targets multiple, integrated initiatives for research in education by leveraging existing, on-campus outreach efforts with the end goal of producing students that are trained to transfer the new technologies to industry and establish new commercial enterprises as appropriate.