Inverse design of 3D polymer integrated optics compatible with multi-photon lithography
Abstract
Integrated optics is primarily based on planar designs due
to the availability of mature lithographic manufacturing and
optical confinement constraints. These 2D designs with fi-
nite thickness in the third dimension are often referred to as
2.5D. Full 3D photonic architectures, with refractive-index
variations along the three dimensions, hold the promise of
higher integration density and novel, to the best of our
knowledge, light control capabilities, but require advanced
multi-layer stacking techniques with precise alignment and
planarization. Nanoscale 3D printing techniques, such as
multi-photon lithography, can address these challenges, and
are gaining momentum thanks to their cost-effectiveness and
rapid prototyping capabilities compared to silicon foundries.
Despite this potential, the exploration of freeform polymer
optics at the nanoscale remains limited due to challenges
associated with low-index materials and a lack of design
tools. Here, we address these limitations by applying a
multi-layered inverse design approach for polymer-based in-
tegrated optics. We systematically compare 3D with 2.5D
designs (all simulations are conducted in 3D), for the task of
demultiplexing two wavelengths with spectral spacing from
100 nm to 20 nm. Our numerical results show that fully 3D
polymer designs consistently outperform their 2.5D counter-
parts, achieving higher efficiencies at equal footprint. These
findings propel the advancement of a next generation of
miniaturized 3D devices for polymer-based integrated op-
tics.
Details
- Organisationseinheit(en)
-
PhoenixD: Simulation, Fabrikation und Anwendung optischer Systeme
Hannoversches Zentrum für Optische Technologien (HOT)
Institut für Transport- und Automatisierungstechnik
Institut für Photonik
- Externe Organisation(en)
-
Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
- Typ
- Artikel
- Journal
- Optics letters
- Band
- 51
- Seiten
- 2516-2519
- Anzahl der Seiten
- 4
- ISSN
- 0146-9592
- Publikationsdatum
- 01.05.2026
- Publikationsstatus
- Veröffentlicht
- Peer-reviewed
- Ja
- ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
- Atom- und Molekularphysik sowie Optik
- Elektronische Version(en)
-
https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.590077 (Zugang:
Offen
)
