Roll-2-Roll (R2R) manufacture of multilayer planar optics

光纤已经改变了我们的现代世界。它们构成了我们电信网络的主干，并使高功率激光能够用于制造。由于光纤的发展，现在有大量的技术是可能的。这个项目寻求为下一代光纤开发一种制造方法。我们希望制造柔性玻璃板，而不是单一的柔性玻璃丝。这些玻璃板将具有与当前光纤类似的性能，但额外的宽度尺寸将使新技术得以实现。例如，玻璃板可以在内部构造以操纵光线。这种能力的应用将包括下一代增强现实眼镜、量子计算机、电信基础设施和新的潜在更高功率的激光。这项技术可能会给通信、计算和工程行业带来变革。

Optical fibres have transformed our modern world. They form the backbone of our telecommunication network and have enabled high power lasers used in manufacturing. There is a huge amount of technology that is now possible due to the development of the optical fibre.This project seeks to develop a manufacturing approach for the next generation of optical fibre. Rather than a single flexible strand of glass, we look to manufacture flexible glass sheets. These glass sheets will have similar properties as current optical fibre but the additional width dimension will allow new technology to be realised. For example, the glass sheet can be internally structured to manipulate light. Applications of this ability would include next generation of augmented reality eyewear, quantum computers, telecommunication infrastructure and new potentially higher power lasers. This technology could be transformative for communications, computation and engineering sectors.