SBIR Phase II: Spectroscopy and imaging of irregular surfaces using confocal microscopy

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project?is?the development of a portable, cost-effective confocal microscope that profiles surfaces, obtains spectra, and enables immediate identification of composition, impurities, and morphology for users throughout the research and industrial markets.??The system will make a major impact in the $6.2B microscope market, with a near-term commercial potential of over 5% of the market and significant growth potential. This technology will address the needs of materials science and other research laboratories, quality control in manufacturing, and supply chain monitoring, thereby providing a positive economic impact. Integration of topographic mapping with a diverse set of spectroscopic tools enables comprehensive materials analysis at very small scales. Users will be able to identify features and defects in electronic, optoelectronic, and structural devices, as well as coatings, tubing, devices, disks, and specialty mirrors. Societal impacts include improvements in the design and manufacture of components and systems.?Because of its compact size and low cost, the microscope can be used in educational institutions, providing students with experience in measuring properties of complex objects and helping prepare them for careers in various research, development, and production settings.? The proposed project will translate spectroscopic confocal optical profile microscopy from the lab bench to prototypes with market-ready features and performance. The developed microscopes will enable spectroscopic and surface analysis of topographically complex structures.?The key innovation is the integration of precision surface profiling with multiple spectroscopic interrogation methods.??Users will capture accurate topographic maps of irregular surfaces and use them to extract spatially accurate spectroscopic and imaging information.??This approach will enable in-focus, diffraction-limited photoluminescence and Raman maps for a broad range of materials.??Research objectives include (1) integration of optical profiling with spectroscopic scanning, (2) optimization of hardware based on customer feedback, and (3) development of acquisition and analysis software.??Successful completion of these objectives will result in a portable instrument that can capture the surface topography and spectral information of a sample with tens of thousands of sample points in a few minutes, with 10-50 nanometer vertical precision and diffraction-limited spatial resolution. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.