SBIR Phase I: Transparent inorganic photoresists for high index photonics

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will enable next-generation engineered optics employed in augmented and virtual reality (AVR) devices. Engineered optics manufacturers currently deposit polymeric thin films and imprint and cure them with transparent molds and UV light. Such polymeric films often have high costs and sub-optimal optical performance. Novel high-index materials are required for device miniaturization and increased field of view. This project will provide AVR manufacturers with cost effective methods to fabricate high refractive index transparent photonic devices that would otherwise be impossible or cost prohibitive to manufacture by methods currently available. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will expand the knowledge base of high-index, UV-curable precursors that can be used for engineered optics. UV-curable polymeric-nanoparticle composite materials represent the current state-of-the-art to produce optical waveguide components for augmented and virtual reality (AVR) applications. These coatings often suffer from low-optical transmission, increased haze values, high coefficients of thermal expansion, and low-indices of refraction. This project develops UV-curable, inorganic films that exceeds the standards of currently used materials. This research project will focus on elucidating correlations between precursor formulation and film processing to control film thickness, refractive index, and optical transmission. The proposed research objectives will reproducibly demonstrate materials with controlled optical performance that that meets or exceeds the current state-of-the-art and establish a pathway for manufacturers to achieve device miniaturization. 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.