Additive manufacturing for the development of optical/photonic systems and components

Abstract

The ambition of this review is to provide an up-to-date synopsis of the state of 3D printing technology for optical and photonic components, to gauge technological advances, and to discuss future opportunities. While a range of approaches have been developed and some have been commercialized, no single approach can yet simultaneously achieve small detail and low roughness at large print volumes and speed using multiple materials. Instead, each approach occupies a niche where the components/structures that can be created fit within a relatively narrow range of geometries with limited material choices. For instance, the common Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) approach is capable of large print volumes at relatively high speeds but lacks the resolution needed for small detail ( > 100 µ m ) with low roughness ( > 9 µ m ). At the other end of the spectrum, two-photon polymerization can achieve roughness ( < 15 n m ) and detail ( < 140 n m ) comparable to commercial molded and polished optics. However, the practical achievable print volume and speed are orders of magnitude smaller and slower than the FDM approach. Herein, we discuss the current state-of-the-art 3D printing approaches, noting the capability of each approach and prognosticate on future innovations that could close the gaps in performance.