SBIR Phase II: Development of high-volume manufacturing processes for variable focus TAG Lens technology

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is in developing the world?s first ultra-high-speed variable focus optical lens that can be fully mass-produced with low manufacturing costs and high yield. The company?s proprietary tunable acoustic gradient lens technology provides versatile solutions for unmet market needs across multiple sectors, including health, security, and manufacturing. While valuable as an add-on to existing systems for imaging and processing applications, its use can be extended to other applications such as point of care medical diagnostic imaging and consumer optics/electronics. The proposed second generation lens is expected to grow the existing market for variable focus optical lens by a factor of 5 to 10 and help transform this small business into a major original equipment components manufacturer and supplier. This project seeks to engineer a high volume manufacturing process that will increase product yield, reproducibility, and reliability for a novel ultra-high-speed variable focus device. The company?s patented tunable acoustic gradient lens technology uses sound to shape light, which enables the change of focal position without any moving parts at rates that are 3 orders of magnitude faster than competing technologies. The innovation is based on propagation of sound waves that can be controlled by the modification of the index of refraction by piezoelectric elements within the liquid lens. Phase II plan is focused on engineering and optimizing new lens designs that preserve the fundamental functionality and benefits of the first generation lens while also capturing the unique and industry leading benefits of the company's core technology. It also includes semi-automated prototype fabrication, careful system optimization, analysis and testing that pave the path to a next generation product that can be scaled up for mass-production.