NanoSPARC: High-Speed Additive Manufacturing for LWIR Meta-Optics

Modern defense and commercial applications increasingly demand compact, lightweight, and adaptive optical components for imaging, surveillance, and target detection. The Long-Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) spectrum (8–12 µm) is critical for these functions, offering superior thermal imaging and penetration through atmospheric obscurants. However, traditional optics in the LWIR regime are bulky, fragile, and constrained by costly, time-intensive photolithography-based manufacturing methods, limiting the development of next-generation, high-performance optical systems. There is a pressing need for a scalable, precise, and cost-effective fabrication method for LWIR metalenses.To address this, our team will fabricate high-performance LWIR metalenses tailored for Navy systems using NanoSPARC.  In Phase I, we will design, simulate, and fabricate small-scale prototypes to validate NanoSPARC’s ability to produce precision-engineered LWIR metaoptics. Phase II will optimize the process and deliver multiple 25 mm metalens prototypes (>5) to the Navy, complete with test data verifying optical performance. These metaoptics will enhance surveillance, targeting, and reconnaissance systems while enabling broader applications in infrared imaging, autonomous vehicles, and industrial sensing. NanoSPARC represents a paradigm shift in optical manufacturing, supporting the Navy’s mission and advancing the field of adaptive optics.