MICRO-OPTICS FEATURE
The contouring capabilities of two-photon grayscale lithography processes make the fabrication of spherical and aspherical lenses possible
smooth surfaces, thanks to the contouring capabilities of the 2GL voxel size control. Laser power modulation and dynamic focus positioning are synchronised accurately at high scanning speeds, enabling full voxel size control along each scanning plane.’ Using a fabrication process in this
way allows a wide range of substrates – including transparent and opaque ones – accepting sizes of up to six-inch wafers, and can avoid costly mask fabrication, spin-coating and pre- or post-baking when used with photo-resin materials. The device made quite an impact on its launch at the Munich trade fair, picking up an Innovation Award on the first day of the show. The prize, sponsored by the publishers
of Electro Optics, was presented to Nanoscribe after it was selected by a jury made up of the heads of the Optical Society, Spectaris and Toptica among others. Hermatschweiler said: ‘After a very intensive technical development phase, this is a great recognition for our team and for the outstanding performance of our new maskless lithography system Quantum X.’
Face to face For Dirk Hauschild, CMO at optics manufacturer Limo, innovations in
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micro-optics have been taking place for some time, but today there are more varied applications for which they are used. ‘The latest surprising device using micro-optics,’ he said, ‘is the face ID from Apple. Then, there are time-of-flight measurement cameras on smart phones from manufacturers throughout the world that use laser illumination for 3D sensing.
“So, the breakthrough of micro-optics is, on one hand, the features of shaping light and to make them on wafers and to produce within one step”
For consumer applications, this is the breakthrough in using not only normal optical elements for imaging, but using lasers in combination with micro-optics that shape the light – that really enables these applications. This was, I think, the most prominent example of using micro-optics in the last three years.’ Hauschild also pointed to autonomous
driving as one huge application that will drive growth in the micro-optics sector.
‘A laser illuminated area can, together with a camera, detect the distances between objects and the car. In the current applications, the sensor in 3D sensing is something that opens new machine-human interfaces to get access to machines. For example, cars will get 3D sensors that only start the car if the right person is in front of the steering wheel. The micro-optics really enable, or are the missing link between, the light source and the application.’ Similarly, said Hauschild, in China there
are hotels that use laser illumination and cameras to detect 3D images from a face, like a finger print for check-in purposes. ‘That’s really booming, and there are companies in China making developments in this direction. It is fascinating how they produce and assemble half a billion optical components a year. This is the low-end field of application – so low power and low cost, but high quantities. Limo is a small to medium company, so typically we are in the range of 100,000 to a million pieces.’
Under control A key focus for Limo is to use micro- optics for high-power laser applications to enable the laser source to be transformed into a precision tool. ‘Light is the purest
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