Next Generation Metrology Driven by Nanophotonics

光学计量学在一系列重要的研究领域和应用中发挥着至关重要的作用，从基础科学发现到材料加工、医学、医疗保健、能源、制造和工程。光学计量仪器通常是大而重的结构，需要一个稳定的环境来保持精度、稳定性和功能。这些物理和功能特征阻碍了光学计量在许多领域进入未来的智能和自主应用。该计划旨在通过在英国建立一个独特的，世界领先的研究合作，将先进的计量和纳米技术结合起来，挑战在高度集成，智能和自主的“工业4.0”计量应用和新兴纳米技术中使用光学测量技术的基本障碍。它将把英国在纳米光子学、等离子体学和超材料研究方面的最新进展转化为计量应用。英国在这些领域一直处于国际领先地位。这将通过实现更便宜、更智能和更紧凑的解决方案，对光学计量产生变革性影响。研究将通过三个互补的渠道进行：计量用纳米光子学元件。该计划的这一部分将利用纳米光子学最近的基础发展，例如，具有亚波长大小特征的表面图案可以提供对传播光的波前的精确控制。用具有相同（组合）功能的单一表面取代一个（或几个）笨重的元件，可以极大地节省尺寸和重量，复杂性和稳健性（例如防止校准），并有机会开发新的测量功能和仪器配置，否则是不可能的。2. 纳米技术的新计量概念。我们将为计量技术开发两个突破性的想法：(1)“光学尺子”，它允许使用最终可以在光纤尖端制造的传感器进行潜在的亚纳米分辨率的非接触式位移测量；(2)基于扫描电子显微镜（SEM）平台的动态“纳米运动成像”方法，对高频纳米至皮米振幅运动进行空间映射。3. 用于制造和纳米技术的新型计量工具。使用上述纳米光子组件和概念，我们将开发新的计量工具和测量技术，以在现实世界中执行，而不是实验室条件。目标应用将包括，例如，与制造工具兼容的表面/几何计量，如金刚石车床和多轴（亚）纳米位移编码平移阶段。该项目将汇集世界领先的计量和纳米光子学研究小组的专业知识，以及包括雷尼绍和泰勒霍布森在内的主要工业项目合作伙伴。我们的目标是共同解决光学计量的长期挑战，并开发新的、颠覆性的计量技术。这些进步对于支持英国的高价值制造业至关重要。然而，这项工作的影响将在更广泛的学科范围内感受到，因为尺寸和重量是重要的问题，例如，空间科学仪器，外科应用的光学仪器和机械臂安装的仪器。

Optical metrology plays a vital role in an astonishing array of important research areas and applications, from basic science discovery to material processing, medicine, healthcare, energy, manufacturing and engineering. Optical metrology instruments are normally large, heavy structures that require a well-stabilised environment to maintain accuracy, stability and functionality. These physical and functional features prevent optical metrology from moving into future smart and autonomous applications across many sectors. The proposed programme aims to challenge fundamental barriers to the use of optical measurement techniques in highly integrated, smart and autonomous 'Industry 4.0' metrology applications and emerging nanotechnologies, by establishing a unique, world-leading research collaboration in the UK that brings together advanced metrology and nanotechnology. It will translate the latest advances in nanophotonics, plasmonics and metamaterials research, in which the UK has played an internationally-leading role, into metrological applications. This will have a transformational impact on optical metrology by enabling cheaper, smarter and much more compact solutions. Research will be channelled through three complementary streams: 1. Nanophotonics-enabled components for metrology. This strand of the programme will draw on the wealth of recent fundamental developments in nanophotonics, for example, the fact that surfaces patterned with subwavelength-sized features can offer exquisite control over the wavefront of propagating light. Replacing one (or several) bulky element(s) with a single surface that carries out the same (combined) function offers hugely significant savings in size and weight, complexity and robustness (e.g. against misalignment), and opportunity to develop new measurement functionalities and instrumental configurations that are not otherwise possible. 2. Novel metrology concepts for nanotechnology. We will develop two ground-breaking ideas for metrological technologies: (1) The "optical ruler", which allows for non-contact displacement measurements with potentially sub-nm resolution using a sensor that could ultimately be manufactured on the tip of an optical fibre; (2) An approach to dynamic "nano-motion imaging" based upon the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) platform, to spatially map high-frequency nano- to picometre amplitude movement. 3. Novel metrology tools for manufacturing and nanotechnology. Using the nanophotonic components and concepts described above, we will develop novel metrology tools and measurement techniques to perform in real-world, as opposed to laboratory, conditions. Target applications will include, for example, surface/geometric metrologies compatible with manufacturing tools such as diamond turning machines and multi-axis (sub-) nanometric displacement encoding for translation stages.This programme will bring together the expertise of world-leading research groups in metrology and nanophotonics, with key industrial project partners including Renishaw and Taylor Hobson. Together, we aim to address long-standing challenges for optical metrology and to develop new, disruptive metrological technologies. These advances will be vital to support the high-value manufacturing sector in the UK. The impact of this work, however, will be felt across a far broader range of disciplines, as size and weight are significant issues in, for example, instrumentation for space science, optical instrumentation for surgical applications, and robotic arm-mounted instruments.