Invention:
This technology is a new resin for use in two-photon lithography, which offers a refractive index higher than existing commercial resins. As a result, it greatly expands the capabilities of 3D printing at a nano scale.
Background:
Technologies such as two-photon lithography are 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, techniques that use lasers to change the chemical composition of a resin material into a harder material. Most 3D printing requires printing the structure one layer at a time, building it up layer-by-layer. Two-photon lithography, on the other hand, uses a laser to focus light at individual points in a material to harden the resin, and can result in structures that would not otherwise be possible to build in a layer-by-layer approach.
Applications:
- Rapid prototyping
- Micro-optics
- Photonic metamaterials
- Nanostructures
Advantages:
- High refractive index
- Tunable: tailored refractive indices
