High Throughput Experimental Discovery and Optimization for 3D Nanofabrication of Optical & Photonic Materials and Devices.

The fields of optics and photonics have long sought methods by which to do 3D nanofabrication; however, all methods to date have been lacking in material choices, speed, and possible geometries. Implosion Fabrication (ImpFab) is newly developed method for the 3D nanofabrication that is uniquely suited to address these needs and can therefore act as a platform for the future manufacturing of optical and photonic devices. We intend to demonstrate that the ImpFab platform can create optical and photonic devices never before possible. However, to achieve this we must build upon the existing materials platform to expand and optimize the materials relevant to optics/photonics applications such as high refractive index dielectrics (HRID), phase change materials, gain/loss materials, semiconductors, and conductors – using them both independently and in concert. To achieve this goal efficiently we propose to automate the most laborious steps of ImpFab while enabling the rapid screening and development of new materials, along with their interactions, for the platform. This will result in a high throughput experimental discovery system capable of screening for and implementing new materials for the 3D manufacture of novel optical and photonic devices.