
Litho boost for augmented reality components
Inkron, part of Japanese semiconductor materials supplier Nagase, makes siloxane-based, optically clear materials in a broad index of refraction (RI) range even up 2.0. The investment will significantly accelerate Inkron’s development of customised optical materials for AR glasses and other diffractive optical elements (DOE).
The cornerstone of the investment is the purchase and installation of an EVG7200 automated UV NIL system from EV Group (EVG). The EVG 7200 system uses EVG’s SmartNIL technology and materials expertise to enable mass manufacturing of micro- and nanoscale structures.
The system provides low-force and conformal imprinting, fast high-power exposure and smooth stamp detachment with unmatched throughput and low cost of ownership for volume production of next-generation photonic devices including waveguides and DOEs. The tool that has been shipped to Inkron includes a high-intensity UV station, heated chuck and support for soft-UV-NIL for microlens molding applications.
Inkron offers NIL processable materials with overcoat, gap fill and planarizing coatings with RI as low as 1.1. The combination of these material platforms and the EVG 7200 system provide the infrastructure for novel optical component development with accelerated turnaround time while enabling careful optimization of the resins and the process for specific devices.
Inkron is also investing in optical structures manufacturing and testing equipment, including device performance and reliability testing. A dedicated team has been established to support the Inkron NIL ecosystem with material scientists, lithography process engineers and photonics experts, headed by VP Dr. Janne Kylmä.
“Through our NILPhotonics Competence Center, EV Group partners with companies like Inkron from across the photonics supply chain to leverage our NIL technology and expertise to accelerate the development of new devices and applications,” said Markus Wimplinger, corporate technology development & IP director at EV Group. “Working with Inkron gives us the opportunity to support their efforts in developing advanced optical resists that are critical to manufacturing next-generation optical devices.”
“We are excited to accelerate the development of our new, optimized and innovative optical resin technologies. The new EVG 7200 system plays a vital role in this strategic move. These new capabilities will help us to address the critical performance roadmaps of our customers and will help them to succeed,” said Jukka Perento, VP Operations. “Our nano-imprintable high refractive index materials and matching gap filling coatings, combined with EVG’s NIL system, provide the critical wafer-level solutions that optics manufacturers need in order to quickly scale up the production of their latest developments.”
www.inkron.com; www.nagase.co.jp; www.evgroup.com
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