Hybrid manufacturing of radiofrequency and photonic devices
Date
2023
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Multifunctional electromagnetic systems have evolved tremendously throughout the years. However, while these designs grow and are being optimized, they lead to complex geometries and designs that are difficult to fabricate using a single manufacturing system. Many fabrication technologies are limited in feature size and materials. Hybrid additive manufacturing (AM) shows promising results in bridging different manufacturing techniques due to AM’s flexibility with materials and scalability that pair well with other manufacturing approaches. AM is utilized in this research, which focuses on the design and development of integrated RF and photonic devices and surveys the reality of using hybrid manufacturing techniques. ☐ First, a hybrid manufacturing approach was utilized to develop integrated photonic microlenses. This study investigated the reliability of AM usage within nanofabrication techniques to improve optical coupling. Second, multi-material AM is leveraged to design and develop graded index (GRIN) absorbers for cavity-backed antenna systems. This research explores the methodology needed to optimally design AM printed parts with varying materials to create a GRIN profile. Finally, multi-axis and multi-tool AM are investigated to manufacture conformal metasurfaces such as frequency selective surfaces and leaky-wave antennas on various substrates. These substrates include printed domes as well as composite structures used for high-impact operations. Overall, this work has proven new conformal 6-axis and hybrid multi-material AM techniques that will open new avenues to advance state-of-the-art RF and photonic research.
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Keywords
Multifunctional electromagnetic systems, Microlenses, Additive manufacturing, Metasurfaces