Two-photon polymerization of hybrid polymers for applications in micro-optics

Miniaturization and higher integration of opto-electronic components require highly sophisticated optical designs. This creates the demand for freeform technologies like Two-Photon Polymerization (2PP) and new specially adapted materials like hybrid polymers (ORMOCER(R)s). Recent progress in the fabrication of microoptical structures using 2PP and specially designed hybrid polymers is presented. Among the structures are freeform and aberration-optimized microlenses and multilevel diffractive optical elements. These components are discussed with respect to fabrication process and their resulting optical performance. Furthermore, 2PP-initiated refractive index modification, offering high potential for energy-efficient fabrication of 3D optical interconnects, is discussed.