10171203SWAN - Subwavelength adaptive nanopatterningClosedFast Start ResponseInnovate UKCnuic Technologies is developing a new approach to creating extremely small and precise patterns on silicon, glass and other substrates using light. Conventional systems often rely on large and costly machines that project patterns through physical masks. These processes can be slow to prepare, expensive to operate and resource intensive. Our approach removes the need for physical masks. Instead, software controls beams of light to form a computer generated hologram that writes the pattern directly into a light sensitive coating. Because the pattern is digital, it can be changed rapidly, and the whole surface can be exposed in a single step. This enables faster, more affordable and more accessible prototyping for UK innovators. During this project we will build a design toolkit that allows an engineer to specify a target pattern and automatically calculate the light field needed to produce it. We will also develop detailed manufacturing process recipes and conduct small scale laboratory trials using booked access to UK university facilities. These trials will confirm that the design rules and software work as intended, and will provide images and measurements showing the quality and repeatability of the features produced. This technology has the potential to benefit industries that use light to process or transmit information, such as data communications, augmented and virtual reality, advanced sensing and photonic devices. By enabling smaller patterns to be produced more quickly and at lower cost, UK organisations can test designs sooner, reduce reliance on lengthy overseas fabrication cycles, and bring products to market faster. The method also avoids water intensive subsystems used in some conventional tools and is designed for efficient energy use. Cnuic Technologies intends to make this capability available first as a contract manufacturing service that can receive customer designs and return patterned samples, followed by compact equipment for early adopters. The outcomes of this project will form the foundation for these services, helping to strengthen UK capability, skills and competitiveness in advanced manufacturing.