Recently, the Swiss Electronics and Micro Technology Center (CSEM) said that it has developed a new inkjet technology that can be used to print waveguides. This inkjet technology is a type of additive manufacturing technology. The researchers used this method to fabricate the optical waveguide as shown. The light emitted by the waveguide (red) can be used to measure the optical properties of the waveguide.
Demand background
Because the new inkjet printing technology can be used to manufacture electronics and microfluidics, the research team believes that it can also achieve the manufacture of devices such as photoelectric sensors. These photoelectric sensors can be used for health monitoring and manufacturing of on-chip laboratory devices (in these devices, multiple laboratory functions can be integrated and automated on a small circuit or chip).
face the challenge
CSEM's Fabian Lütolf said: "Using inkjet printing technology, the printing position and size can be set, and there is no waste of materials. However, the surface tension of the ink makes it difficult to print lines with a specific height, which is for the manufacture of waveguide Necessary. "Lütolf explained that due to surface tension, the ink deposited on the substrate tends to bulge or separate, but our two-step technical method can turn this point into a technical advantage.
Technology core
The researchers said that the deposition of ink is divided into two steps, rather than one step, to achieve the printing of lines with a specific height and smoother characteristics. The researchers printed small droplets called pinning caps. These spherical caps can be pinned to the liquid bridge formed by the ink in the second step printing, creating a structure that can fix the ink and prevent bulging in the printed line. After depositing a series of droplets, the ink printing in the second step reduces the surface energy by self-aligning between the droplets printed in the first step.
Technical advantages
Unlike previous ink printing methods, researchers do not need to define the substrate pattern in advance, which can increase the available design space and simplify manufacturing. In addition to printing straight lines between two points, the researchers said the technology can be used to connect three or more intersection points to create more angles. The technology can print 2.5-dimensional optical waveguides composed of acrylic polymers, and can also use other metal inks to make electronics or sucrose mixtures for biodegradable applications.
Outcome evaluation
To evaluate the new printing method, the researchers fabricated a polymer waveguide 120 mm wide and 31 mm high. After measurement, the optical loss of the waveguide is 0.91dB / cm, which is only an order of magnitude higher than the existing waveguides manufactured using photolithography technology. Lütolf said: "Waveguides are capable of optical transmission over short distances, not the entire network, and the existing loss levels can be tolerated for such applications."
Technical defect
The researchers said that the smallest achievable waveguide is limited by the size of the ink drop that the nozzle touches. For printers used in research, the minimum waveguide is about 40 microns and the height is about 10 microns. Lütolf said: "In our existing combination of materials and hardware, we cannot manufacture waveguides smaller than 10 microns, and this is a typical requirement for single-mode transmission, but we are very close. However, there are no basic physical restrictions to Prevent us from printing single-mode waveguides. "Lütolf said that some research teams have verified that electrohydrodynamic printing can achieve submicron printing capabilities, and believe that it is possible to make single-mode waveguides by combining these inkjet printing technologies.
significance
Lütolf. Said: "Inkjet printing does not require the mask required by lithography technology, it is easier to connect devices. And, if you want to be able to test an idea or change a parameter faster, additive manufacturing methods such as inkjet printing only The digital design needs to be changed. "
Lütolf said: "Our method can use a single nozzle to create a device with multiple functions, paving the way for the entire integrated circuit on the chip." This means that optoelectronic devices can be attached to flexible hybrid electronic devices, Photonic devices such as light sources or detectors can also be integrated into printed photonic circuits.
The next step of the job
The research team is seeking to optimize the printing method and ink to further reduce the optical loss of the waveguide. They also seek to make the printing process more suitable for large-scale manufacturing, and eventually achieve commercial manufacturing. 
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