A chip device for on-line assessment in nano-scale surface manufacture

在发达经济体，高附加值关键部件的制造正迅速转向微纳结构和自由表面的设计和制造。拥有这些表面的零部件市场巨大(英国的年营业额超过750亿英镑)，并以每年25%的速度增长(1996-2005年)，在英国、美国、德国、法国和东亚进行了大量投资。纳米级和超精密结构表面的使用迅速增加，范围很广，涵盖了光学、硬盘、医疗设备和微型模塑行业，这些行业都严重依赖超精密表面。产品的规模并不限制对表面精度的需求。例如，詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜项目需要1.3米大小的复杂自由曲面分段望远镜反射镜，形状偏差小于10 nm。超精密多轴加工和微制造技术使设计的表面能够制造出所需的亚微米形状精度和纳米表面形貌。然而，这种表面的制造有一个基本的限制因素，即以高水平的精度测量产品的能力，以及在线测量产品的能力。提出的项目试图创建一种新型的在线/在线表面测量系统，该系统将干涉仪的基本光学部件，如光源、光学部件、检测器，集成到固态芯片设备中。在该项目中，研究的关键和新颖方面是研究和开发制造光学元件并将其集成到同一主板芯片上的技术。在此基础上，探讨了建立稳健、小型化的表面测量系统并将其应用于微纳尺度表面在线测量的可行性。拟议的项目将涉及一个由研究人员和工业家组成的跨学科团队：哈德斯菲尔德大学(UOH)的表面计量小组(UOH)、集成光子学中心(CIP)、仪器制造商泰勒·霍布森有限公司(TH)和北威尔士光学技术(OPTIC)的超精密表面。该集团的综合业务包括在表面计量、集成光学、计量仪器和超精密表面制造方面的“最先进”能力。其目的是展示一种独特的、新颖的微纳尺度制造技术，它代表着表面计量、集成光学、纳米技术和仪器领域的一大变化。合作伙伴的加入表明了这种系统/开发基本测量系统方法的研究小组(哈德斯菲尔德)、技术翻译和设备制造商(CIP)、测量工具制造商(Taylor-Hobson)和最终用户(光学)所需的供应链。如果该项目按计划成功，那么很有可能将这种方法转化为商业化。CIP是该项目的分包商，负责交付项目中使用的先进光电设备和最终的光电混合芯片。CIP是一家非营利性组织，在以这种方式与大学团体合作开发先进研究部件方面有着良好的记录。以前的例子是EPSRC资助的普林斯和肖像项目，在这些项目中，CIP过去(现在)负责开发用于电信、太赫兹成像、生物光子学和传感应用的尖端研究设备。该中心为工业界和大学提供开放式的研发设施。EPSRC已同意通过资助个人研究拨款的全额经济成本来支持学者获得CIP。

In developed economies the manufacture of high added value critical components is rapidly shifting to the design and fabrication of micro and nano structured and freeform surfaces. The market for components possessing these surfaces is huge (the annual turnover is over 75 billion in the UK) and growing by 25% per year (1996-2005) with great investment in the UK, USA, Germany, France and East Asia. The rapidly increasing use of nano scale and ultra-precision structured surfaces is wide ranging and covers optics, hard disks, medical devices and the micro moulding industries that all critically rely on ultra precision surfaces. The scale of the products does not limit the need for the surface precision. The James Webb Space Telescope project for instance requires 1.3 metre size complex freeform surface segmented telescope mirrors with less than 10nm form deviation.Ultra-precision multi-axis machining and micro-fabrication technologies are enabling technologies that allow the designed surfaces to be fabricated with the required sub-micrometer form accuracy and nanometric surface topography. There is however a fundamental limiting factor to manufacture of such surfaces, namely the ability to measure product with high level accuracy, and also on-line.The proposed project attempts to create a novel in/on line surface measurement system, which integrates the essential optical components of an interferometer, such as, light source, optical components, a detector, into a solid state chip device. The key and novel aspect of the research, within the project, is to study and develop techniques to fabricate and integrate optical elements onto the same motherboard chip. The feasibility of building a robust and miniature surface measurement system and applying it to on-line micro and nanoscale surface measurement will then be explored. The proposed project will involve an interdisciplinary team of researchers and industrialists: the Surface Metrology Group at the University of Huddersfield (UoH), the Centre for Integrated Photonics (CIP), instrument manufacturer Taylor Hobson Limited (TH) and Ultra-Precision Surfaces at the OpTIC Technium (OpTIC) in North Wales. The group's combined activities include 'state of the art' capabilities in surface metrology, integrated optics, metrology instruments and ultra-precision surface manufacturing. The aim is to demonstrate a unique and novel technique for micro, nano scale manufacture that represents a step change in the field of surface metrology, integrated optics, nanotechnology, and instrumentation. The inclusion of the partners demonstrates the supply chain required in such systems / the research group (Huddersfield) developing the fundamental measurement system approach, a technology translator and device manufacturer (CIP), a measurement tool manufacturer (Taylor-Hobson) and an end user (OpTIC). Should the project succeed as planned, then there is an excellent chance of downstreaming this approach into commercialisation.CIP is a subcontractor on this project responsible for the delivery of the advanced optoelectronic devices used in the project and the final optoelectronic hybrid chip. CIP - a not for profit organisation - has a track record of working with university groups in this way for the development of advanced components for research. Previous examples being the EPSRC funded projects PRINCE and PORTRAIT where CIP were (and are) responsible for the development of leading edge research devices for telecommunications, terahertz imaging, biophotonics and sensing applications within these projects. The centre provides an open acess R&D facility for industry and universities. The EPSRC have agreed to support the access to CIP for academics by funding full economic costs on individual research grants.