3D printed gradient index glass optics.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33208366.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abc7429 and PMC identifier 7673801.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
We demonstrate an additive manufacturing approach to produce gradient refractive index glass optics. Using direct ink writing with an active inline micromixer, we three-dimensionally print multimaterial green bodies with compositional gradients, consisting primarily of silica nanoparticles and varying concentrations of titania as the index-modifying dopant. The green bodies are then consolidated into glass and polished, resulting in optics with tailored spatial profiles of the refractive index. We show that this approach can be used to achieve a variety of conventional and unconventional optical functions in a flat glass component with no surface curvature.