Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Kaierle

As part of the PhoenixD Cluster of Excellence, we are researching the further development of additive manufacturing of glass materials. We want to print transparent volume components from quartz glass without any recognizable boundary layers in the volume, bubbles or defects and with the smoothest possible surface. We use a laser-based system to apply the fiber-based filler material layer by layer. The potential of additive manufacturing in glass processing lies, among other things, in being able to produce special shapes without having to use expensive special tools. For example, the material bond makes it possible to functionalize commercial optics in a targeted manner using additive manufacturing and thus create free-form optics. We are also researching the targeted deposition of glass waveguides for the production of photonic integrated circuits. Laser structuring and multi-parameter zero-latency process control are also used to achieve the envisaged photonic integration. To qualify our results, we use non-destructive methods such as computed tomography, optical coherence tomography or confocal microscopy, as well as destructive methods such as micrograph analysis and tactile profile measurements.